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"Grinch of the Year" Award Helps Providence Workers Win Battle
Summer grinch award
After much effort, housekeepers at Providence Portland Medical Center have won improvements for patients and caregivers by gaining the right to use single-use disposable gloves when cleaning patient rooms.
A year ago, the housekeepers began raising concerns that the policy of using the same pair of gloves for weeks and even months at a time to clean everything from toilets to bed rails was unsafe for patients and workers.
The housekeepers united to change the policy by gathering signatures on a petition, meeting with management, asking elected officials to intervene, and even delivering a bouquet of disposable gloves to management on Valentines Day.
The community supported workers’ efforts in several ways – State Rep. Tina Kotek met with management about the gloves policy and Jobs with Justice voted Providence “Grinch of the Year” last December over the issue. Many people attended the Workers Rights Board Fair Elections Oversight Commission and the Candlelight Vigil and heard the story of workers’ concern about the gloves.
Despite opposition to the change, housekeepers did not give up on this important issue. Management announced the policy change recently, claiming it had nothing to do with workers' efforts.
