Catholic Bishops Announce an Agreement on the Rights of Healthcare Workers

[herring_RN, ASN, BSN]

in a new report, respecting the just rights of workers: guidance and options for healthcare and unions, bishops call on catholic health care employers to assure that employees have a free and fair choice when organizing a union. an excerpt from the report states:

"we share a commitment to a core principle of catholic social teaching that workers have the right to decide through a fair process - free of coercion and based on accurate and truthful information - whether and by whom to be represented in the workplace."

the bishops also recommend principles for appropriate conduct for both the employer and the union to ensure employees are able to make an informed decision without pressure from either side.

"catholic hospitals and their workers"

the document is the fruit of two years of discussions between the bishops, catholic health care officials and union leaders. sr. carol keehan, dc, president of the catholic health association was a key player in the negotiations and, like mccarrick, you would need to be pretty more than a little intransigent not to fall prey to her considerable powers of reasonableness and persuasion. essentially, the document provides guidelines for respecting the rights of workers at catholic hospitals to form unions. it calls for mutual respect, equal access to information on the part of both labor and management, truthful communication and the avoidance of harassment or coercion by either the unions or the employers. it also insists that all sides honor the results of a union election....

...it recognizes that "health care is a human right ... both a service and a ministry." it states unequivocally that the bishops affirm "two key values: 1) the central role of workers themselves in making choices about representation and 2) the principle of mutual agreement between employers and unions on the means and methods to assure that workers could make their choices freely and fairly." if you know anything about the outrageous union-busting tactics that are part of everyday use in contemporary america, these principles are not mere feel-good expressions....

http://ncronline.org/print/13671

respecting the just rights of workers:

http://www.usccb.org/sdwp/national/respecting_the_just_rights_of_workers.pdf

[dianacl]

Nurses, healthcare professionals and hospital workers at Ressurection hospital in Chicago have been fighting for the right to organize without interference from the hospital administration for some years. The support of the Bishops and the religous community is a positive step that everyone involved worked tirelessly to achieve. I wish them success with trying to impove their situation.

http://www.afscme.org/press/26368.cfm

[HM2VikingRN, RN]

They just proposed and implemented a neutrality agreement for their employees. It calls on management to recognize a common commitment to a fair and just workplace.

[tewdles, RN]

Interesting to me that one of the worst employers I EVER worked for was a large catholic system.

[hearts895, RN BSN]

So happy to hear the Bishops are aware of problems like union busting & support workers right to organize. :) Just another reason I have such enormous respect for the Catholic Church. I sure hope I get the internship at my state's Catholic hospital I'm shooting for in the future.