Philadelphia, PA (September 14, 2010) \u2013 After a two year organizing campaign aimed at forcing Hahnemann University Hospital nurses into union ranks, the California Nurses Association (CNA) union abruptly ceased its efforts to unionize the facility last month. The union\u2019s organizing drive was marked by a legally-questionable agreement between CNA operatives and hospital management challenged by nurses represented by the National Right to Work Foundation.<\/p>\n
Under a so-called \u201cneutrality agreement\u201d between hospital and union officials, CNA organizers were given preferential access to hospital facilities and Hahnemann supervisors were gagged from truthfully responding to nurses\u2019 inquiries related to unionization. Despite these provisions, the union lost a consent election in July 2009. <\/p>\n
During the organizing campaign, Right to Work attorneys helped Hahnemann nurses file legal challenges against the union\u2019s abusive organizing strategy. When union officials threatened Kimberly Hummel with \u201cprivate arbitration\u201d for opposing the CNA\u2019s presence, the Right to Work Foundation helped her file a complaint against the union\u2019s heavy-handed threats with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). <\/p>\n
Undeterred by their July 2009 election loss, CNA officials filed a series of election \u201cobjections\u201d against the hospital for harassing union organizers. Union operatives also managed to convince hospital officials to agree to disregard the results and hold another unionization election. With the help of Foundation attorneys, another nurse stepped forward in January 2010 to file charges against CNA officials and Hahnemann for staging another unionization drive over the wishes of a majority of hospital employees.<\/p>\n
Finally, CNA officials realized they did not have majority support and quietly withdrew their NLRB election petition in late August. <\/p>\n
The Hahnemann University Hospital organizing campaign isn\u2019t the first time CNA officials have faced legal challenges for suspicious organizing tactics or walked away when independent-minded nurses fought back. Several Houston-area medical professionals filed unfair labor practice charges against the union for crafting a similar \u201cneutrality agreement\u201d in Texas. <\/p>\n
\u201cDespite their best efforts to gag independent-minded nurses and cajole them into union ranks, CNA operatives have finally realized they aren\u2019t wanted at Hahnemann University Hospital,\u201d said Patrick Semmens, Legal Information Director for the National Right to Work Foundation. \u201cCoercive tactics and secret organizing pacts violate workers\u2019 rights, so union officials\u2019 loss is a win for employee freedom.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Philadelphia, PA (September 14, 2010) \u2013 After a two year organizing campaign aimed at forcing Hahnemann University Hospital nurses into union ranks, the California Nurses Association (CNA) union abruptly ceased its efforts to unionize the facility last month. The union\u2019s organizing drive was marked by a legally-questionable agreement between CNA operatives and hospital management challenged by nurses represented by the National Right to Work Foundation.<\/p>\n
Under a so-called \u201cneutrality agreement\u201d between hospital and union officials, CNA organizers were given preferential access to hospital facilities and Hahnemann supervisors were gagged from truthfully responding to nurses\u2019 inquiries related to unionization. Despite these provisions, the union lost a consent election in July 2009. <\/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-2902","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n