Northwest labor press., March 17, 2006, Page 9, Image 9

Union drive under way at Providence Health Systems
By DON McINTOSH
Associate Editor
Service Employees International
Union (SEIU) hopes to unionize 5,000
workers at Providence Health System
in Oregon — starting with the 3,500 at
Providence St. Vincent and Providence
Portland hospitals, where registered
nurses belong to the Oregon Nurses As-
sociation. But with Providence reject-
ing SEIU’s call for “neutrality,” it’s
likely to be a protracted campaign.
Portland-based SEIU Local 49 has
financial backing from its international
union, which is pushing to unionize the
health care industry. Local 49 represents
workers at Kaiser Permanente and two
sites in the Legacy Health System, but
never until recently was able to gain
momentum at Providence.
Maeve Carroll, a pro-union worker
employed as an emergency room regis-
trar at Providence St. Vincent, said
workers are interested in unionizing be-
cause of concerns about understaffing,
inadequate employee health insurance
and basic respect from management.
“We know our jobs well, and we
could contribute to better patient care by
having a chance to be a part of the deci-
sion-making,” Carroll said.
As the union campaign got under
way last year, Local 49’s headquarters
became a dense warren of organizers
coming and going, teaming up with
rank-and-file members to visit the
homes of workers. Several hundred
workers at St. Vincent and Providence
Portland have signed on as supporters
of the campaign, but management is
also prepared to wage an anti-union
Nurses, neighbors and religious leaders join Providence employees Oct. 5, 2005 in a delegation to ask Providence
Health Systems Oregon CEO Russ Danielson to sign a "fair elections" pledge. "No thanks," is the answer they've
had so far.
campaign, and that has caused union
leaders to plot carefully their next move.
If they request a government-super-
vised election, that would commit them
to a fixed timeline and campaign
ground rules that give too many advan-
tages to the employer, union leaders say.
Instead, they’ve tried to get Providence
management to sign a neutrality pledge
that would commit Providence to:
• Allow employees to meet in non-
patient areas and discuss openly
whether to unionize;
Local Motion
Union election activity in Oregon and SW Washington,
according to the National Labor Relations Board
and the Oregon Employment Relations Board
Company
Date
Union
WASHINGTON, D.C. (PAI) — The
launch of the New Construction Al-
liance by the Laborers Union and Oper-
ating Engineers has been pushed back
to mid-April.
General presidents from the two
unions announced in February that they
were disaffiliating from the AFL-CIO
Building and Construction Trades De-
partment and joining the Carpenters,
Results:
Union
No
Union
6
9
Location
Sidwell Air Freight (decertification)
2/24
Teamsters Local 962
Central Point
Umpqua Community College
Oregon Education Association
May Trucking Company (decertification)
Teamsters Local 670
Air Methods Corporation
IAM-Woodworkers District Lodge 1
MARCH 17, 2006
Teamsters, Bricklayers and Iron Work-
ers in the new organization. The Brick-
layers and Iron Workers have not said
whether they will secede from AFL-
CIO Building and Construction Trades
Department.
Officials from the Laborers Union
and Operating Engineers told Press As-
sociates Inc. that they want to finalize
details of the new alliance and hire staff
...City unions reach deal
Elections requested
Company
Union
empt non-profit, founded and owned by
the Sisters of Providence, a Catholic or-
der of nuns. Providence’s logo is a
cross. According to its mission state-
ment, Providence “continues the heal-
ing ministry of Jesus in the world of to-
day, with special concern for those who
are poor and vulnerable.”
There’s no record that Jesus of
Nazareth charged extra to heal the poor
(or that he charged anything at all.) But
Providence — a $4-billion-a year four-
state health care network with $238 mil-
lion net “profit” in 2004 — was charg-
ing uninsured (usually poorer) patients
at a higher rate than insured patients —
for the same procedures … until a class
action lawsuit forced it to settle out of
New Construction Alliance pushes back launch date
Febuary 2006
Elections held
• Refrain from negative campaign-
ing and misleading communication;
• Not require workers to attend anti-
union meetings with supervisors;
• Not spend health system resources
on consultants specializing in “union
avoidance”; and
• Avoid unnecessary delays or legal
challenges to union certification.
Providence, which energetically
fought union campaigns in Yakima,
Wash., and Burbank, Calif., has so far
declined to sign the neutrality pledge.
SEIU reached out for community
support, particularly among religious
leaders.
Though it might not act like one,
Providence Health Systems is a tax-ex-
court last year.
And notwithstanding scriptures
about camels passing through eyes of
needles, Providence makes sure its
CEOs are very rich: In 2004, then-CEO
Hank Walker received $6.6 million in
compensation — the exact average pay
received by CEOs at Fortune 500 cor-
porations the year before.
What’s a tax-exempt non-profit with
a public mission of charity care doing
paying lavish Wall Street-style salaries?
The Internal Revenue Service won-
dered that, and launched an an inquiry.
Back to Local 49: In October, the
union turned in a letter of support
signed by almost three dozen clerics, in-
cluding a dozen Catholic priests and
three Catholic nuns, 15 Protestant cler-
ics from at least five denominations,
and three rabbis.
“We ask you to honor and respect
the freedom of employees to decide for
themselves whether to form a union,”
the letter read.
Providence Vice President Russ
Danielson wrote back: “We believe in
and openly acknowledge the Catholic
social teachings, which affirm that
workers have the right to organize or
not.”
But, Danielson made it clear, work-
ers need to make an “informed” choice.
And management would be sure to in-
form workers about the “risks” of union-
izing, “the facts about unions,” “the
costs of union membership,” and so on.
“This is a very anti-union employer,”
said Local 49 President Alice Dale.
Dale said so far, Providence man-
agement in Oregon has run a low-key
campaign. But if the union drive gathers
steam, management push-back is likely
to increase, judging by the examples in
Washington and California.
Location
# of employees
Roseburg
130
Salem
31
Bend
5
(From Page 1)
surance will vary depending on the coverage (single, married or family).
Over the next four years, the DCTU and the city also will work together to im-
plement a wellness program, with a goal of cutting insurance claims by 3 to 5 per-
cent. And labor and management will lobby state and federal governments for so-
lutions to rising health care costs.
James Hester, staff representative for Local 189 and the chief negotiator for the
DCTU, says the agreement on health care coverage was a key to the deal.
“The DCTU believes the tentative agreement reflects the unions’ commitment
to secure quality health care for its membership,” he said. “In addition, the unions
believe this is a great example of working with the city as opposed to armoring up
for battle at the bargaining table.”
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
before they officially open.
Operating Engineers President Vin-
cent Giblin and Laborers President
Terry O’Sullivan said in February when
announcing the National Construction
Alliance that local unions “will selec-
tively remain” affiliated with state and
local building trades councils.
O’Sullivan also said the alliance
plans to create its own local structure.
He said he has been in contact with
about 25 unionized contractor associa-
tions that have welcomed the creation
of the organization.
Treasures & Trifles Estate Sale
Low prices on pots, pans, clothing, knick-knacks,
books, jewelry, small appliances, collectibles and
much more! Also used furniture at the South end
of the parking lot.
Friday, April 7 — 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Saturday, April 8 — 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Westmoreland Union Manor
SE 23rd Ave. between Tolman & Bybee, Portland
PAGE 9