PRLog (Press Release) –
May 20, 2008 –
Placentia – Nurses at Placentia-Linda Hospital filed for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to gain a voice in the workplace by joining the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals (UNAC/UHCP). During a previous effort to form a union in 2003, nurses opted to give hospital administration an opportunity to fulfill several promises it made to improve patient safety and working conditions. Five years later, management has broken most of its promises, prompting nurses to take action and seek a fair and binding union contract.
“As nurses, we want to provide high quality care to our patients, but are constantly understaffed by hospital management,”
states Kim Sanchez, a Telemetry RN at Placentia-Linda Hospital. “We need a voice in the workplace because we want our patients to have access to the care they need, and management continues to break its promises to nurses to improve patient safety and working conditions.”
Placentia-Linda nurses confront patient safety issues on a daily basis, yet hospital management won’t address issues such as unsafe staffing levels and assigning patients without considering the level of care they need. Without a union, Placentia-Linda nurses have little to no voice in decisions about patient care and can even be fired for speaking out.
“These nurses did their best to cooperate with management to improve Placentia-Linda, and management did not reciprocate,” comments Kathy Sackman, RN, president of UNAC/UHCP. “With the significant nursing shortage across the country, hospital management must do what it can to retain and recruit nurses. Placentia-Linda cannot create positive working conditions if it consistently breaks its promises.”
After months of preparation, a strong majority of Placentia-Linda nurses signed authorization cards and filed on Friday for a union election. After reviewing the submission, the NLRB will schedule an election to allow all the nurses to vote for a voice in the workplace.
http://www.nursesunite.org
About UNAC/UHCP: We are United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals (UNAC/UHCP), a union of Registered Nurses and Health Care Professionals involved in the delivery of patient care in diverse settings.
We believe that all health care workers and all members of the community are entitled to dignity, respect, justice, and quality health care.
