| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 11, 2000 |
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LAKELAND HEALTH CARE WORKERS MAKE THEIR VOICES HEARD FOR BETTER PATIENT CARE Over 450 technical employees at Lakeland Regional Medical Center made their voices heard by voting to join the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) Local 1625 last night. The Licenced Practical Nurses (LPNs), laboratory, radiology and respiratory technicians are joining the more than 900 Registered Nurses (RNs) at Lakeland who made Florida history in 1997 by winning the first union election at a hospital in the state. Mary Hoff, an LPN who led the effort to get a voice for health care workers at Lakeland, said, "We fought a long, hard battle. After two years struggling to organize, the victory is sweet. Now that we have a union, we are determined to keep fighting for good staffing levels that protect patient care." Long-time health care union organizer and newly appointed Deputy Trustee of UFCW Local 1625 Ed Chambers said, "Our registered nurse UFCW members at Lakeland spread the word in the hospital about the benefits of union protection for health care workers. The technical workers' victory was truly a result of a caregiver-to-caregiver network. We are proud of our members who helped their co-workers stand up for a voice in the workplace." Debbie Dease, an RN who serves as shop steward at Lakeland said, "We're excited that all of our co-workers at Lakeland will finally have the opportunity to sit down at the table and deal directly with the administration. With the UFCW behind us, Lakeland will be an even better facility as a result of the caregivers victory." UFCW Local 1625 organized the RNs at Lakeland in 1997 in addition to representing mental health workers, employees at several nursing homes and hospitals across the state. The Lakeland election victory is the latest in a series of wins for UFCW Local 1625. With its new leadership, the union has organized over 700 new members in the past six months and is reaching out to health care workers in Orlando and Tampa Bay to inform them about the benefits of a voice on the job with the UFCW. The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), with 1.4 million members, is one of the largest unions in the U.S. with members in the health care, retail food, meat packing, poultry, food processing, footwear, garment and textile, and chemical industries. |
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