Posts tagged nurses
Hawaii: Kapiolani Medical Center nurses vote to authorize strike
January 9, 2024 // The nurses have been working without a contract since their last three-year contract expired Nov. 30. The nurses, who are represented by the Hawai'i Nurses' Association, Office and Professional Employees International Union Local 50, AFL-CIO, began their negotiations with management on Sept. 13.
INDIANAPOLIS: Nurses at IU Health’s University and Methodist hospitals eye unionizing
December 11, 2023 // Other IU Health hospitals would not be part of the union. IU Health is currently in the process of expanding its downtown Indianapolis facilities – with the expectation that University and Methodist hospitals will eventually be consolidated sometime in 2027. “In the next five-plus years, or whenever that big building is done, we will be one hospital,” Armes said. Travel nurses would not be included in the union, but Armes said they have been supportive of their organizing. Bailey Pollard is another nurse working to unionize the two hospitals. He said nursing shortages are not a problem unique to IU Health.
Bitter strike over as nurses, N.J. hospital reach tentative agreement after 120+ days
December 3, 2023 // For months, the union members went without paychecks and benefits, which the hospital had cut off in September. The two sides were at a standstill, and for a time, it was unclear how they would find a path forward. The strike drew national attention, as U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) visited Rutgers University in October to hold a Senate committee hearing on the labor dispute and hospital staffing guidelines. At the event. Sanders expressed support for the nurses and the ratios they sought while lambasting hospital leaders for not appearing. The hospital — ranked the fifth best in New Jersey by U.S. News and World Report — had maintained that strict staffing ratios would not allow it the necessary flexibility during times of high patient volume. But many nurses said they were working in untenable conditions, often forced to juggle five or six patients during a given shift, which they said impacted the patients’ well-being as well as the nurses’ ability to provide adequate care.
Unionization momentum at Temple Health continues with workers at Fox Chase, Chestnut Hill Hospital
November 14, 2023 // The research staff at the Fox Chase Cancer Center filed union petitions with the National Labor Relations Board on Monday, becoming the fourth group to do so at the Northeast Philadelphia specialty hospital this year. The 91 workers run clinical trials at the National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center. On the same day, about 200 registered nurses and 80 technical specialists at Chestnut Hill Hospital filed paperwork with the NLRB. Temple acquired the hospital less than a year ago. All three groups would be represented by the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals, or PASNAP. Temple Health and Fox Chase declined to comment on the organizing efforts.
‘A historic moment’: Oregon teachers launch first-ever strike
November 8, 2023 //
Unions push to represent more workers, but organized labor’s share of jobs is declining
October 24, 2023 // For all the sound and fury on the labor front, its net effect is unknown. Unions’ overall share of the workforce was 10.1% in 2022 and declining, about half the rate of 1983, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That percentage is swelled by union predominance in government work. In the private sector, the share of union jobs was 6% in 2022. The number of union members overall has grown but not as fast as jobs in the rest of the economy. “It takes a lot of new members to raise the union density,” said Robert Bruno, a professor of labor and employment relations at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
St. Peter’s nurses vote to unionize in wake of information leak
October 23, 2023 // St. Peter's Health ended its contract with Mr. Commer after the internal leak of nurses' personal information. The health system, in a statement shared with Becker's on Oct. 4, described the incident as one "where a document containing sensitive information became accessible beyond the intended recipients. It is our responsibility to safeguard the privacy and well-being of our employees, and as such, we take full responsibility for this incident occurring." St. Peter's Health also confirmed it is no longer working with any third-party consultants, but said, "The more important issue is that this incident was inconsistent with our values." The organization is conducting an internal investigation and said it will "respond as appropriate based on the findings."
Three California State University unions reach labor agreements. What raises did they win?
October 13, 2023 // Starting Oct. 1, 2025, the union would move to a new 20-step merit system where salaries are determined based on the years of service an employee has completed. Each step up comes with a 2% raise. CSUEU staff indicated that each employee’s raise in the third year would vary greatly depending on how far behind their salary step they currently are. “This tentative agreement establishes an equitable salary structure with steps, which will help address the University’s recruitment and retention crisis,” wrote Catherine Hutchinson, CSUEU president, in a statement Thursday afternoon. “Pending ratification, we believe this agreement raises the bar and paves the way for our other union siblings across the system.”
California Planned Parenthood employees unionize, say they’re overworked as abortions increase
September 19, 2023 // The union could be one of the largest representing Planned Parenthood workers in the country. “I think this sends a ripple to not only other Planned Parenthood affiliates across the country, but other nonprofit health care organizations, that this is possible, this is coming,” he said. “This is the rebirth of the labor movement. It’s not just a hot labor summer. This is here to last.”
Federal worker complaints rise with union activity in Minnesota
August 22, 2023 // National Labor Relations Board complaints this year in Minnesota and nationally are already above full 2021 and 2022 levels. Organizers expect even more in 2024.