UNION MEMBERS ARRESTED FOR ORGANIZING AT USC HOSPITAL -- CALL ADMIN NOW!!

We need your help as heavy handed union busting continues at USC University Hospital, which is scheduled to have a union election May 26 and 27.

 

May 13, Mitch Creem, CEO of USC University Hospital prevented union members from having access to their organizers by barring organizers from the National Union of Healthcare Workers from entering the public cafeteria, violating labor law.  When the NUHW organizers stated their right to be in the hospital to help workers organize their union and showed him their access letter from attorneys, Cream ordered security to do a citizen’s arrest on three organizers.  They are being charged with trespassing.

This follows last week’s suspension of union members Michael Torres and Julio Estrada for coming to the hospital in their off hours.  In this incident, Creem called LAPD to have the workers arrested, but LAPD refused, saying that Torres and Estrada had a right to be there.

This is illegal and clearly in retaliation for organizing.  Workers have the right to organize, but USC is ramping up its harassment before the election.  NUHW is filing an unfair labor practice charge with National Labor Relations Board -- but this will take a lot of time, exactly what USC wants.

The workers are asking for us to CALL and EMAIL the administration, human resources, and hospital management in solidarity ASAP.  Callers should also express support for the nurses and students' demands to meet with the administration.  Please see below for contact numbers and a sample message.

Even if you called after Estrada and Torres were suspended, CALL AGAIN!  USC is escalating their union busting tactics.  We must send the message that we know what they are doing and we want them to stop.

Contacts:- Mitchell Creem, Chief Executive Officer, USC University Hospital & SC Norris Cancer Hospital creem@health.usc.edu +1 323 442 8444, 323-442-8656

Matthew McElrath, Chief Human Resources Officer, USC Hospital matthew.mcelrath@health.usc.edu +1 323 442 8645-

Steven Sample, USC President, presofc@usc.edu, 213-740-2111

CL Max Nikias, Provost, provost@usc.edu 213-740-2101

Sample message:

"I am outraged to hear that USC Hospital is violating labor law by preventing union organizers from entering the public hospital cafeteria yesterday [May 13], and that they went as far as to place them under citizen’s arrest.  This is clearly illegal, and is intended to intimidate workers who wish to organize.  I demand that USC put an end to these blatant union busting tactics.  I demand that the university drop all charges against the union organizers arrested yesterday, and that USC end all intimidation, harassment, and retaliation of workers for organizing. 

The right to organize is one of the most basic rights workers have, and I am deeply disturbed that USC is engaged in suppressing workers rights. 

Furthermore, I support the demands of the nurses from the California Nurses Association, as well as students, to meet with the administration as soon possible.  I support their calls for an end to union-busting, and for rescinding the Weissman Group -- that USC is pouring so much money into an anti-union consulting firm is a disgusting misprioritization of resources.

I urge you to redress the above concerns at once.  Let me know your response so that I can inform my colleagues, friends, family and community."

WORKERS SUSPENDED FOR ORGANIZING -- CALL USC ADMIN!!!

Two workers who are leaders in union organizing have been suspended -- Michael Torres (who has been coming to the actions at USC) and Julio Estrada. This is the latest in USC's effort to squash union organizing with the help of union busting consulting firm The Weissman Group.

The reasons for suspension were that last week, Michael was at the hospital during his day off, and talked to Julio. Although workers often come to the hospital during their time-off, the management called the LAPD Labor Detail -- which didn't intervene and said Michael had the right to be there.  However, the next day management called the workers, to say they were suspended and under investigation.

This is illegal and clearly in retaliation for organizing, especially since the election date is now set for May 26 and 27. Workers have the right to organize and discuss workplace conditions, but USC is ramping up its harassment before the election. NUHW is filing an unfair labor practice charge with National Labor Relations Board -- but this will take a lot of time, exactly what USC wants.

- Please CALL and EMAIL the administration, human resources, and hospital management in solidarity!  Demand that the suspended workers be reinstated ASAP, that USC end retaliation for organizing, and that USC rescind the Weissman Group.  Also, please express support for the nurses' and students' demands to meet with the administration -- so far hospital management has refused nurses' request for a meeting.  Please see below for contact numbers.

  The USC admin is protective of their public image so the more calls the better!

- Mitchell Creem, Chief Executive Officer, USC University Hospital & SC Norris Cancer Hospital
creem@health.usc.edu +1 323 442 8444, 323-442-8656
- Matthew McElrath, Chief Human Resources Officer, USC Hospital
matthew.mcelrath@health.usc.edu +1 323 442 8645

- Steven Sample, USC President, presofc@usc.edu, 323-740-2111
- CL Max Nikias, Provost, provost@usc.edu 323-740-2101

 

 

Youtube Video of Friday's Action

Youtube Video of Friday's Action: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bQITHf0mks

Tuition is the largest source of USC’s revenues. Regardless of how USC classifies its spending flows, we are part of this “community” and how its resources are used should be students’ concern.

The union-busting is affecting several unions at USC's hospitals, including the California Nurses Association (CNA), which has contract renegotiations in the fall.

• Since USC bought two private hospitals last year, it has been using every opportunity to break the already unionized staff.
• USC has refused to grant the CNA nurses the same level of benefits as other union workers at USC, counter to its own parity agreements. 
• Currently, nurses are forced to work in hazardous conditions -- at times only receiving a three-hour rest break to sleep between shifts, endangering patients' safety.  Despite these extremely strenuous, debilitating hours, the nurses are disciplined for falling asleep at the hospital.  Nurses are trying to organize to address these and other conditions. 
• Nurses report union-busting harassment and intimidation used against them, under the Weissman Group's guidance.

Faculty and students have signed a support letter in solidarity with USC healthcare workers, and calling on the administration to rescind the Weissman Group.  Please see the letter here:
http://www.petitiononline.com/uschospw/petition.html

ACTION: Friday, April 23 @ noon

Join us to protest, speak out, and deliver the petition!

Friday, April 23 @ noon
Meet at Tommy Trojan
(Center of campus, outside the Bovard Administration Building)

No to Union-Busting!

Sign the petition here: http://www.petitiononline.com/uschospw/petition.html

* * *

Without a union, USC is has few legally bound obligations to workers.

from http://www.usc.edu/dept/Benefits/ --

"Benefits programs are subject to change at anytime by the university, at its discretion, without prior notice or liability, to the extent permitted under applicable law. The benefits described in this Web site are available to staff and faculty employed by the University of Southern California subject to certain eligibility requirements. In the event of a discrepancy between the benefits and limitations described in this booklet and a plan document or a collective bargaining agreement, the terms of the plan document or collective bargaining agreement will govern."

Article in the Daily Trojan

See this article in today's Daily Trojan for background info:

Controversy Growing at USC Hospital

Teach-in In Support of USC Healthcare Workers

FACT:  Union workers consistently have better benefits, higher wages, and better working conditions.

FACT:  USC is currently paying millions of dollars to a firm called The Weissman Group to break worker solidarity and weaken union support.  

FACT:  Our tuition dollars are going to a multimillion firm that is well known for union busting.

What can we do?

Student voices matter!   We can tell USC that we want employees to have fair working conditions! 

Teach-In

in support of

USC Healthcare workers

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

12:30pm

WPH 301 

Endorsed by: Student Activists for a Beloved Community, Graduate Students of Color Network, Food Not Bombs, Students for Justice in Palestine, Peers in American Studies and Ethnicity Organization (PASEO)

Questions or want to get involved?  USCworkersolidarity@gmail.com

Sign onto a SUPPORT LETTER in solidarity with the workers!

Click here to download a flyer for the April 13 teach-in.

USC workers deserve a voice in their workplace conditions.

UNIONS GIVE WORKERS POWER

• Without a union, workers have few rights that their employer is legally bound to respect, and can be hired or fired at will -- e.g. simply because the employer does not like their hairstyle.
• A union contract helps protect workers from discrimination. The union also serves as a collective voice that the employer is legally bound to negotiate working conditions with; a union gives workers a voice at the table.

UNIONIZED WORKERS ARE GOOD FOR EVERYONE

• A unionized healthcare workforce means higher quality care! When the people who deal directly with patients have a say in having adequate supplies, staffing and workload, it's good for patients, too. Healthcare workers are deeply concerned about patient care -- but in non-union hospitals, they are over-worked and given high workloads, putting patients at risk.

USC WORKERS WANT TO UNIONIZE

• The hospital workers overwhelmingly want to remain unionized, with an majority signing a petition in favor of doing so. However, USC has been employing highly aggressive union-busting tactics in the period of time before the union election, which has been post-poned until May, and includes an option to have no union.

USC IS UNION BUSTING

• USC has hired the well known union busting firm, The Weissman Group, which lists “union avoidance strategy” as a service it offers to corporations.
• USC hospital workers are being harassed by security guards and management for talking about workplace conditions or passing out flyers during their off-time.
• Workers are being called in to their boss's office one-on-one and told not to vote for the union, and threatened that USC will never negotiate with the union.

Let's value caregivers.
Healthcare workers deserve basic workplace standards.