MD lawmakers demand Johns Hopkins respect nurses' rights

Forty-seven members of the Maryland General Assembly on Tuesday sent a letter to Johns Hopkins Hospital urging management to respect the rights of registered nurses to form a union, to stop interfering in their organizing drive, and stop using anti-union consultants to deny nurses their rights. “We urge you to respect the rights of nurses to choose whether they want to form a union free from intimidation, interference, harassment, or retribution by management or its agents,” wrote lawmakers, led by Baltimore Sen. Mary Washington and Delegate Robbyn Lewis. “We firmly believe Hopkins management should not use anti-union consultants to deny these nurses their rights. Not only is union-busting wrong, it is counterproductive to the mission of the hospital and wastes precious resources that should go instead to improving safe staffing and patient care.” The hospital is waging an aggressive campaign, spending millions of dollars, nurses allege, on anti-union efforts that appear to violate legally protected workplace rights. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has determined there is merit to allegations that the hospital has violated federal labor law in restricting the rights of its registered nurses who are seeking union representation. A first NLRB hearing on the nurses’ complaint is scheduled for June 4 in Baltimore.
photo: Hopkins nurse with Sen. Mary Washington

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