Providence workers gain community support

On May 25th, Jobs with Justice convened a Workers' Rights Board Fair Election Oversight Commission to listen to testimony from Providence Hospital workers about the lack of a fair process for organizing.

standing room only crowd at WRB hearing

Providence workers told their stories to a standing-room-only audience and a panel of community leaders Thursday evening May 25^th in the Portland Building meeting room. The Workers’ Rights Board Fair Election Oversight Commission was convened by Portland Jobs with Justice and chaired by Secretary of State Bill Bradbury.

In the days leading up to the hearing, the Hospital Association and Providence Health Systems pressured Secretary Bradbury to cancel the hearing. They asked what his legal authority was to conduct the hearing and why he would involve himself in the situation. He responded that it was part of his role as Secretary of State to oversee elections and that ensuring that union elections were fair and free did come under his purview. He invited Providence to come and testify, but they chose not to appear at the hearing.

The hearing started with testimony from Dr Gordon Lafer of the Labor Education and Research Center, reporting on his research into union elections. He reported on his conclusions that the system for union elections is not free and fair. He looked at criteria which included access to voter lists, economic coercion of voters, and free speech.

The testimony from Providence workers was compelling. Kara Miller, Certified Nursing Assistant at Providence St Vincent’s Medical center, explained that nearly every night her unit of 59 patients only has one CNA to watch and interpret the heart rhythms of all the patients and that with that ratio it becomes very difficult to give good patient care. Sometimes the ratio is one CNA monitoring 70 patients. Whenever the CNAs have complained about these unsafe conditions, they have been told to speak to their charge nurse and then call the manager. When they did this, nothing was changed.

Irina Murzagildina, a housekeeping attendant and Russian speaker talked about the organizing attempt at Providence in 1999 and the Russian-speaking supervisor’s anti-union activity, which would not happen if Providence was willing to agree to ground rules so that workers could have a free and fair election process.

Workers from Providence facilities through out the West painted a picture of Providence systematically opposing unionization with vicious campaigns and a lot of tension and division created by the hospital administration.

Over and over again workers made the point that without ground rules, a free and fair process was impossible to achieve. Providence’s record shows that although they claim that they are not anti-union, they have campaigned against unionization every time there has been an attempt by workers to organize.

During the testimony, members of the WRB Fair Election Oversight Commission interrupted to ask questions and draw out additional experiences. Panel members included Rev. Mother Alcena Boozer, rector of St Phillip the Deacon Episcopal Church; Dr. Mary King, chair of the Economics Department at Portland State University; former State Senator Dick Springer; Secretary Bradbury; Rev. Jack Mosbrucker, rector of St Therese Catholic Church; Dr. Jill Ginsberg, a Kaiser family physician; and Rabbi Joseph Wolf from Havurah Shalom.

The Commission discussed and amended a resolution supporting ground rules for Providence workers which was passed unanimously at the end of the evening. There will be a report issued soon. The hearing report will be circulated widely through our community to help build broader support for ground rules. If you would like to set up a forum where Providence workers can come and talk about their struggle and present the WRB Fair Election Oversight Commission report, contact Jobs with Justice at 503-236-5573.