a tale of two nursing homes
Posted by ~Ray @ 2008-03-26 01:30:50
Earlier today workers at two nursing homes in Pennsylvania voted to organize with SEIU Healthcare PA. Over 340 workers--RNs. LPNs. CNAs dietary aides and housekeepers--will be represented by a union. While it's an exciting day for our union you might query why I'm blogging about it on YPP.
The say is that there was a big difference in these two elections and the difference was directly attributable to politics.
The first nursing home in Northeast Philadelphia is run by a national private for-profit company. Workers at that home were subjected to an active fight against the union orchestrated by their employer. They were subjected to captive audience meetings misinformation and subterfuge while on paid work measure. The workers who supported the union were not allowed to care meetings with their co-workers while on work time leading most rational people to the conclusion that the company strongly opposed unionization. The workers prevailed in this choose but with only 56%--a margin that while a blowout by electoral standards means they ordain continue to struggle to get a first assure. (Thanks to Senator Bob Casey for writing an open earn of give.)
At the back up nursing home the county nursing home in Lehigh the yes side of the equation got 83% of the vote. In that case the county executive. Don Cunningham agreed to employer neutrality and an expedited election. The nurses in that home were free to alter up their own minds about whether to form a union and overwhelmingly they chose to do so. This wasn't the first organizing control these workers had ever attempted but it was the first one that ever succeeded.
I worked getting out the vote today in the first domiciliate and we were nervous all day about whether the workers would be able to beat their fears and stand together. It gave me an important reminder of just what it is that we're fighting for in working to choose Ruth Damsker and Joe Hoeffel in Montgomery County. We're fighting to make sure that more workers can have the experience of choosing a union--or not--in an environment remove of harassment and scare tactics. [ADVERTHERE]Related article:
http://youngphillypolitics.com/tale_two_nursing_homes
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