Senator Barack Obama Highlights Resurrection Campaign in Speech to AFSCME Convention

Presumptive Democratic nominee for President of the United States Barack Obama addressed the 38th AFSCME International Convention on July 31st via satellite to voice support for the union and particularly the for Resurrection workers in their struggle to organize with AFSCME Council 31.  Senator Obama has spoken at two rallies in support of Resurrection workers and signed a letter to Resurrection CEO Joseph Toomey urging him to dialogue with employees. 

To view a video of Senator Obama's speech, click here.   

In his speech to the AFSCME International Convention, Senator Obama said:

"There is one fight in particular that I will always remember.  In March of last year, a green-clad AFSCME army barring signs declaring "It's Time for Justice" rallied in Chicago for the 8,000 healthcare and service workers at Resurrection Health Care who didn't have a voice.  They've been trying to form a union with AFSCME Council 31 but were met again and again with resistance from management. 

Saturday, July 12- Thousands of members of the American Federation of Teachers gave Resurrection workers a rousing reception when they took the stage at a rally on Saturday.  As AFT leaders pledged their support for the Resurrection employees working to form a union, AFT members roared their approval and chanted "Justice Now at Resurrection."

Threatening weather prompted the AFT to move the rally from Lincoln Park to Navy Pier where the AFT was holding its convention but spirits weren't dampened.  Shirley Brown, a housekeeper at Westlake Hospital, kicked off the rally with a powerful message about Resurrection worker's commitment to fighting for a voice at work and about management's

fierce anti-union campaign.  

Shirley introduced Emma Escobedo, a housekeeper at Sts. Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center, who was recently fired for her union activity.  As Emma struggled to speak through her tears, AFT members chanted their support and some were also moved to tears.  "Resurrection may have fired me, but they haven't gotten the best of me," she said.   

The following story was published in the June 26^th edition of the Evanston Review.  It focuses on how Resurrection’s recent bond downgrades are a result of the company’s management not involving employees in the critical decisions that face Resurrection.

Click here to view the story.   

Wage complaint forwarded to Attorney General for prosecution
Resurrection Health Care owes $381,000 in overtime pay to Home Health employees

After years of appeals by Resurrection Health Care, the state Department of Labor has forwarded the wage complaint of employees in the health care chain’s Home Health division to the Office of the Attorney General for prosecution. The Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) previously ruled that Resurrection Health Care owes $381,000 in back wages to 64 Home Health employees.

Home Health Services employees filed complaints with the IDOL in 2003 charging that the chain’s “fee-for-visit” system consistently failed to pay them for hours worked beyond their normal schedule.

The IDOL agreed with the employees and cited Resurrection for violations of the state’s wage and hour law regarding overtime pay. But RHC refused to adjust the employees’ pay accordingly and instead spent years filing appeals.

Nurses Lobby for Safe Staffing

On April 9th, nurses from across Illinois gathered in Springfield to lobby for legislation that would improve nurse staffing at the bedside.  At a hearing held by the House Health Care Availability and Access Committee, RN2RN Network nurses provided compelling testimony regarding the need for safe nurse-to-patient staffing ratios in all Illinois hospitals. 

Following the hearing, nurses lobbied their legislators to sign on to a letter to the Illinois Department of Public Health, urging the department to ensure that Illinois hospitals provide accurate, detailed and comprehensive data about nurse staffing – including information about nurse staffing by clinical service area and unit. 

Nurses believe that accurate data about current nurse staffing will make it clear to lawmakers that action is needed to protect patient safety and improve working conditions for nurses.

Labor Board Issues Complaint Against Resurrection Health Care

Hospital chain attempted to silence union activist

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has issued an unfair labor practice complaint against Resurrection Health Care for attempting to silence a union supporter at West Suburban Medical Center.  The NLRB charge stems from an October incident when a supervisor told a union activist that he could no longer speak to his coworkers in the Food Service department.  The supervisor's order came a week after the employees spoke at an event outside of a Resurrection fundraiser.  A hearing on the complain has been scheduled for March 12, 2008.  

The NLRB complaint contends that West Suburban usaed an "overly broad rule which prohibits employtees from speaking to coworkers about concerns affecting conditions of employment and which discriminatorily singles out union supporters."  The complaint also charges that Resurrection "has been interfering with, restraining, and coercing employees in the exercise of the rights guaranteed in . . . the [National Labor Relations] Act." 

Resurrection's Anti-Union Record Highlighted at Global Summit

The HEART organizing campaign was highlighted this week during a Global Organizing Summit in Washington, D.C.  Almost 200 union leaders from around the world came together for the summit to discuss strategies for organizing against employer hostility.  Kelly Beringer, a nurse at West Suburban Hospital, told the forum how Resurrection has systematically fought workers' efforts to form a union, which has led to 14 unfair labor practice settlements in four years.   

Language Assistance Lacking at Resurrection Hospitals

Systematic failures in language assistance services affect quality of care

According to a complaint filed with the Office for Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Resurrection Health Care is failing to provide language assistance services required by federal law.  The complaint, which was filed by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)Council 31, alleges that Resurrection has systematically failed to provide the most basic forms of language assistance services to ensure equal access to health care for all patients regardless of English language proficiency.  
 

 
OSHA fines Resurrection Health Care's West Suburban Medical Center
Hospital fined $7,500 for exposing workers to asbestos

The U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently fined West Suburban Medical Center $7500 for three “serious” asbestos-related violations.  The violations include failing to inform housekeeping employees that asbestos was present in places they work, failing to post warning signs at the entrances where asbestos-containing materials were present, and failing to provide training to the employees, at no cost, on the dangers of asbestos.  According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, repeated exposure to asbestos increases the risk of a variety of lung problems, including cancer.