Philadelphia, PA (September 22, 2009) \u2013 Today, National Right to Work Foundation attorneys filed unfair labor practice charges for Kimberly Hummel, a Philadelphia nurse who has been subpoenaed to testify at a private arbitration hearing for daring to oppose a backroom deal between Hahnemann University Hospital and the California Nurses Association (CNA) union. <\/p>\n
In June 2009, the CNA union decisively lost a so-called \u201cconsent election\u201d to determine if Hahnemann employees would be forced to accept union monopoly bargaining. Despite a coercive deal between union bosses and hospital officials that gave CNA organizers preferential access to hospital facilities, circumvented federal oversight, and prevented nurses from discussing the downsides of unionization, Hahnemann University Hospital employees voted against the CNA, 309 to 267. <\/p>\n
Unwilling to take \u201cno\u201d for an answer, CNA operatives responded by filing a series of objections to the election with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), alleging that the unionization drive was somehow tainted by hospital officials\u2019 actions, despite the fact that the hospital\u2019s management provided assistance to union organizers. The CNA union filed similar objections with a private arbitrator, who promptly subpoenaed Hummel, a leading opponent of the CNA\u2019s abusive organizing tactics, threatening her with a monetary fine if she refused to participate. NLRB officials have already set a date for a hearing on these objections, however. <\/p>\n
Because Hummel never agreed to submit to private arbitration, her unfair labor practice charges assert that she is under no obligation to answer questions at the private arbitration hearing, where union operatives would have free-reign to harass and interrogate her prior to the upcoming NLRB investigation. Absent federal safeguards, a private arbitration hearing also threatens to undermine Hummel\u2019s due process rights. As a result, Hummel has refused to appear before the CNA\u2019s tribunal and has filed unfair labor practice charges against the union for threatening her with a subpoena. <\/p>\n
\u201cWith the help of complicit hospital administrators, CNA operatives have already tried to forced Hahnemann nurses into the dues-paying ranks of an unwanted union,\u201d said Stefan Gleason, vice president of the National Right to Work Foundation. \u201cNow that they\u2019ve been rebuffed by Philadelphia nurses, union bosses are attempting to drag Kimberly Hummel into a union kangaroo court for interrogation.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cThe union\u2019s objections are already being investigated by the NLRB, so employees like Mrs. Hummel will absolutely not attend a private arbitration hearing that lacks basic due process safeguards,\u201d continued Gleason. \u201cInstead of pursuing this ludicrous hearing, union officials should respect the wishes of these nurses to remain union-free and go away.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Philadelphia, PA (September 22, 2009) \u2013 Today, National Right to Work Foundation attorneys filed unfair labor practice charges for Kimberly Hummel, a Philadelphia nurse who has been subpoenaed to testify at a private arbitration hearing for daring to oppose a backroom deal between Hahnemann University Hospital and the California Nurses Association (CNA) union. <\/p>\n
In June 2009, the CNA union decisively lost a so-called \u201cconsent election\u201d to determine if Hahnemann employees would be forced to accept union monopoly bargaining. Despite a coercive deal between union bosses and hospital officials that gave CNA organizers preferential access to hospital facilities, circumvented federal oversight, and prevented nurses from discussing the downsides of unionization, Hahnemann University Hospital employees voted against the CNA, 309 to 267. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[888],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2828","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n