Registered nurses with National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU) applauded the decision by D.C. elected officials to file a lawsuit against Ascension, the owner and operator of Providence Hospital, charging that the multibillion-dollar St. Louis, Mo. based Catholic nonprofit violated the law when it began shutting down operations at the hospital on Friday, December 14. “This move by Ascension follows a long pattern of ignoring the needs and well-being of the people of Washington, D.C. and instead following a road map laid out by executives elsewhere in the country, who don’t care what happens to the elderly, the poor and the vulnerable who receive care at our D.C. hospital,” said Elissa Curry, a registered nurse at Providence. The lawsuit filed last Friday by the District of Columbia charges that Ascension violated D.C. law by closing and reducing hospital services without first obtaining approval of a hospital closure plan from the State Health Planning and Development Agency (SHPDA.) Just days before the D.C. lawsuit was filed, nurses filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) accusing Ascension of bargaining in bad faith when it concealed its intention to close the hospital during negotiations in 2017. The nurses also charge that Ascension’s refusal to negotiate severance packages for the nurses who are losing their jobs at Providence Hospital is a retaliatory act against the nurses for their efforts to keep the hospital open. photo: December 11 protest at Providence; photo by Chris Garlock click here for complete latest listings
Union City Radio; weekdays 7:15am; WPFW-FM 89.3 Film: "Union Maids" (Shirlington) Tue, December 18, 6pm – 8pm; Busboys and Poets (Shirlington), 4251 South Campbell Avenue, Arlington, VA FREE: RSVP HERE Sitdowns, scabs, goon squads, unemployment, hunger marches, red baiting and finally the energetic birth of the CIO: the 1930s were a landmark period for the American labor movement. Union Maids is the story of three women who lived that history and make it come alive today. Film: "Union Maids" (Takoma) Tue, December 18, 6pm – 8pm; Busboys and Poets, 235 Carroll St NW, Washington, DC 20012, USA (map) FREE: RSVP HERE UPCOMING Maryland State and D.C. AFL-CIO 2019 Maryland General Assembly Legislative Conference Wed, December 19, 9:30am – 2:30pm; IBEW LOCAL 24 - UNION HALL 2701 W. Patapsco Avenue Baltimore, Maryland 21230 DCA Rally for Airline Catering Workers Wed, December 19, 4:30pm – 6:00pm; Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, 2400 S Smith Blvd, Arlington, VA 22202; Departures Level Terrace Area of Terminals B and C. The controversy swirling around today’s vote on the East End Hospital was a major topic of discussion at last night’s meeting of the Metro Washington Council. The attempt by UHC and Vincent Gray to ram through a new, nonunion hospital that would freeze out Howard medical students outraged local union members gathered at what’s normally a festive end-of-year gathering (though Saul Schniderman did lead a spirited rendition of “Rudolph the Union Reindeer”). “We need to ensure good quality union jobs at the new hospital,” 1199 SEIU’s Yahnae Barner told delegates. “Your calls and emails will make the difference, just like it did at Providence,” added 1199 SEIU’s Djawa Hall. Click here for east-to-use contact info. Also key are full health care services at the new hospital, said DCNA’s Ed Smith, “equal to those in Northwest,” and access to Howard University doctors at the new hospital. Many area locals added or updated social media this year and the Metro Washington Council’s comprehensive online listing of social media links has just been expanded and updated. Deadline for updates for the Council's annual Directory of Local Unions has been extended to this Friday; check out the online Directory here. Corrections/updates can be faxed to us at 202-974-8152 or emailed to [email protected]. |