| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 1, 2001 |
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Caregivers Join UFCW For a Voice On the Job Registered Nurses, Pharmacists, and medical technologists, along with technical and clerical workers, at 11 Kaiser Permanente facilities in the Atlanta, Ga., area opted October 30, 2001, for a voice on the job with United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1996. A strong majority of the 1,000 workers signed union cards designating the UFCW to provide union representation so the health care workers could have a say in the decisions that affect patient care, as well as their professional and personal lives. An agreement reached in 1997 between Kaiser and a number of affiliated AFL-CIO unions requires Kaiser to remain neutral during union organizing efforts and to recognize a union once a majority of employees sign cards declaring their choice for union representation. Card check agreements between employers and unions eliminate the need to hold National Labor Relations Board union elections. "Health care workers across the country want a strong voice on issues like staffing levels and overtime to ensure quality patient care and their standing as professional caregivers, " said UFCW Local 1996 President Steve Lomax. "Nurses and other caregivers nationwide are turning to unions to gain that voice." Contract negotiations will begin either late this year or early 2002. The UFCW represents 1.4 million workers, including more than 100,000 health care workers. |
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