| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 2, 2001 |
Contact: Greg Denier (202) 466-1591 or Jill Cashen at (202) 728-4797 |
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UFCW Welcomes United American Nurses as an AFL-CIO Affiliate
Doug Dority, President of the 1.4 million member United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), extended his welcome to the United American Nurses (UAN) following the AFL-CIO's decision to grant a charter to the registered nurses organization. The UAN and its parent organization, the American Nurses Association, has been seeking status as a charted organization of the nation's largest labor federation, the AFL-CIO. The UFCW was a strong proponent and leading advocate for the UAN position in the charter debate. UFCW President Dority is a member of the AFL-CIO's Executive Council and cast his vote to grant UAN the sought-after charter. Registered nurses are increasingly organizing into unions as managed and profit-centered care are pressuring the traditional professionalism and patient-centered care of the nurse. Organized nurses have become a leading voice for keeping care in the health care system. "Registered nurses are key to protecting health care quality. Unionization is key to making sure that the voice of the nursing profession is heard on issues from salaries to staffing," said Dority. Affiliation of the UAN with the AFL-CIO will require a vote of the UAN/ANA governing body. The UFCW through its health care division has been actively organizing registered nurses and other health care professionals. Registered nurses at Lakeland Regional Medical Center in Lakeland, Florida and St. John's Mercy Medical Center in St. Louis, Missouri made history by organizing for a voice on the job with the UFCW in the past several years. Health care professionals, nursing home workers and other caregivers continue to stand up for a voice on the job with the UFCW. "We look forward to working together with the UAN to build a strong movement among registered nurses. With 2 million unorganized nurses in the country, we must mount a united front to help nurses get a voice on the job," said Gregory Hamblet, Director of the UFCW Health Care, Insurance, Finance and Professional Employees Division. The UFCW represents more than 100,000 caregivers nationwide. The union is committed to protecting health care workers' right to a voice on the job.
United Food and Commercial Workers Union: A Voice for Working America ? www.ufcw.org
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