SEIU Agrees to Gag Nursing Home Workers

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SEIU Agrees to Gag Nursing Home Workers

Full story: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003601276_seiu05m.html

By Ralph Thomas

Seattle Times Olympia bureau

OLYMPIA -- State lawmakers are used to seeing big budget requests from the Service Employees International Union, Washington's fastest-growing labor organization.

But few legislators realize what's really behind SEIU Local 775's push this year for a $60 million state-funding increase for nursing homes.

Under a confidential written agreement with several operators of for-profit nursing homes, Local 775 has promised to help push for more money, and in exchange, the companies have pledged to bless the union's organizing efforts.

Although the main goal of the agreement is to pursue public money, its details have been kept secret. The Seattle Times recently obtained a draft copy of the agreement.

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Nursing homes have no money? Has anyone checked their financials in the paper recently? Most of the "for profit nursing homes", spend their money on their shareholders, not on the residents (aka "cash cows".

I do not believe their plee of poverty. Maybe they are not getting alot of reimbursemsents from Medicare and Medicaid, but what they do get, they do not spend on either the residents, or the staff that care for them.

Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN

Spokane, Washington

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This article blows my mind. This is what I hated the most about being a member of SEIU--the feeling in your gut that your union was willing to stoop to any level, even endanger patients, to gain more members.

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What about being a CNA member and being sick to your stomach to find out that your union is about stopping nurses from having a voice, at all costs, even if they have worked courageously for years to win the chance to do so!!! :eek:

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I'm a proud member of CNA/NNOC and I stand by our ongoing commitment to prevent any expansion of partnership deals that put the interests of the employer above the needs of patients and RNs. I'm glad that we fearlessly expose and publicize any conditions that threaten our patients and our practice--whether by doing a press conference outside of our own facilities, on the steps of the Capitol or in Ohio where RNs were being railroaded into a "partnership union". The right to speak out is fundamental to our right and obligation to advocate for our patients. SEIU routinely signs agreements that limit the rights of its members to do just that.

What a difference it makes to be in an organization made up of all RNs, run by RNs for RNs!

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What about being a CNA member and being sick to your stomach to find out that your union is about stopping nurses from having a voice, at all costs, even if they have worked courageously for years to win the chance to do so!!! :eek:

I'm curious: Samantha, do you defend SEIU's partnership with the nursing home industry? Do you think that it's okay for a union to sign an agreement that prevents RNs from speaking out when their employers endanger patients? Is that what you claim RNs have been "working courageously for years to win"? Funny, in my experience, as RNs we prefer to leave the gag off!

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this is a matter of principle, we must stop these company-union partnerships at all levels at all costs. thank you cna/nnoc for shining the light and leading the way!!!

any doubt about the seiu partnership deals, read this.

uhw to seiu, nursing home chain: stop undermining workers

posted : mon, 10 mar 2008 21:10:38 gmt

author : seiu united healthcare workers-west

category : pressrelease

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san francisco, march 10 /prnewswire-usnewswire/ -- caregivers are denouncing the kindred nursing home chain's attempts to weaken its employees and their union, united healthcare workers-west, before bargaining for a new contract is scheduled to begin.

within the next month, caregivers at 11 kindred homes represented by uhw expect to open negotiations for a contract that includes fair wages, quality benefits, and a voice on the job to improve resident care. kindred, for its part, has long opposed the workers' efforts to win safe staffing and other compliance issues at their nursing homes.

in fact, management at kindred has attempted to subvert the workers' right to be in the union of their own choice by denying the workers the right to vote on the job, and stating clearly they would prefer to work directly with seiu international leaders rather than california-based workers. kindred management also has rallied other nursing home operators to prevent uhw members from participating in an internal union vote at their facilities--a practice never before challenged.

kindred's philosophical position at the workplace is to limit workers' right to speak out. the company is a leading advocate for a scaled down collective bargaining agreement that restricts workers' rights. these contracts, known as template agreements, are ones that uhw is opposing in contract negotiations with kindred, but seiu is willing to renew in order to get organizing rights at other facilities.

a look at kindred's record makes it clear why it would prefer not to deal locally with uhw:

-- kindred's citations regarding resident care are above the state average. the company received 12.3 at each facility a year.

-- kindred homes are below the state average for direct care hours provided to residents.

-- kindred's staff turnover rate in 2006 was nearly 45 percent. that's directly attributable to kindred's inadequate wages and benefits.

the 150,000-member seiu united healthcare workers-west is the largest hospital and healthcare union in the western united states and represents every type of healthcare worker, including nurses, professional, technical and service classifications. our mission is to achieve high-quality healthcare for all.

contact: kim curtis cell: 510-206-8248 email: [email protected]

seiu united healthcare workers-west

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I am a little curious about the intent of this thread. My understanding is that RNs are rarely part of a union at a nursing home. What does CNA/NNOC propose doing to help non-RN nursing home workers? My understanding is that CNA/NNOC does not make a habit of trying to help non-nurses organize. Maybe this is just another effort to demonize seiu?

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What a difference it makes to be in an organization made up of all RNs, run by RNs for RNs!

I should have my RN by the end of the summer.

I am currently an LPN.

I will never join an organization that excludes LPN's from membership, nor one that discounts those other workers who support RN's.

That includes the ANA.

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I agree that LPNs need better union representation than what has been given by SEIU. The CNA would gain MUCH support from healthcare workers if it found a way to represent LPNs and other support staff.

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Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.

Labor laws prevent the same union from representing diffeent levels of professional and technical workers.

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Labor laws prevent the same union from representing diffeeent levels of professional and technical workers.

Then how does the SEIU represent LPN's, RN's, CNA's, and the cafeteria workers in the same facility?

My county job was SEIU and we were ALL in the same union. By law, we had to pay dues even if we didn't join.

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