We Want a Fair and Free Election
February 2013
When we started the process to form a union our goal was very simple: we wanted a stronger voice for nurses at the hospital so we could better protect our patients and ourselves. We believe a robust union would allow us to work better with management and solve the many problems we face at our hospitals.
In the run up to our election, our organizing committee received reports of numerous attempts to coerce nurses.
- Pulled us away from our patients to attend anti-union propaganda sessions
- Spent thousands of dollars on anti-union labor consultants to convince us to stay silent when that money could have gone toward our patients
- Interrogated us about our feelings toward unions
- Placed us on administrative leave if we defended our position about the union
- Refused to allow any pro-union information to be displayed in the hospital despite allowing anti-union literature throughout the hospital
- Spread misinformation and lies about the union while presenting themselves as “unbiased” sources of information
- Used surveillance of pro-union supporters to intimidate us from forming our union
Every nurse in this country has the right to form a union if they so choose. This right is supposed to be free of intimidation and harassment and it is supposed to occur in a fair environment where nurses can make an informed choice. Management has made that impossible.
Charges are being filed with the National Labor Relations Board to protest these actions from management. We will file charges and expect the labor board to investigate and correct these abuses by UHS. This process is essential to create the environment for nurses to exercise a free and fair choice about forming a chapter of UNAC/UHCP. Committee members are available to discuss what this means for our hospitals.
Click here to download a leaflet with this information to print and share with co-workers.