The hard-fought victory came when the National Labor Relations Board in Washington, D.C., rejected appeals by the care center\'s management. Last week, Walker Methodist CEO Lynn Starkovich phoned AFSCME Council 5 Executive Director Eliot Seide to recognize AFSCME as the representative of the health center\'s nursing assistants, LPNs, housekeepers, maintenance, laundry and dietary workers.
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Walker Methodist workers cheered recognition of their union, AFSCME. |
"Walker workers celebrate today because we know that our votes count," said Tracy Plante, a Walker Methodist LPN. "Now we can bargain together for good wages, benefits and working conditions. And we will have a powerful voice to improve patient care."
"The decisions of the NLRB bring to a close this chapter of our employees\' efforts to form a union," said Starkovich. "We now look forward to working cooperatively with their chosen representative, AFSCME Council 5, to achieve a fair agreement that may benefit everyone and serve the needs of our residents."
"Nursing home workers deserve respect and quality compensation because they give dignity and quality care to our most vulnerable elders," noted Seide. "We look forward to negotiating our first contract with Walker Methodist."
Walker Methodist workers voted to join AFSCME on May 30, 2003. A separate election for licensed practical nurses was held on July 30, 2003, but the LPN ballots were impounded for nearly four years while the company made appeal after appeal to the NLRB. At each level, the workers\' right to a union was upheld.
Last Thursday, the ballots in the LPN election were finally counted and the vote was 35-6 in favor of union representation.
The Walker Methodist campaign has become a case study for why federal labor law needs to be changed. AFSCME and other unions are backing the Employee Free Choice Act, which would require employers to immediately recognize a union if a majority of workers sign representation cards.
AFSCME said it received strong support from the community, including the Methodist Church, during the long campaign.
With 600 workers and 490 residents, Walker Methodist Health Center is the largest nursing home in Minnesota. It is located at 3737 Bryant Ave. S. in Minneapolis. AFSCME Council 5 represents 43,000 public and non-profit workers across the state.
Walker Methodist workers will now choose a bargaining committee and begin the process of negotiating their first contract. Management and union also said they plan to advocate together at the state Legislature for a rate increase for nursing home facilities, with three-quarters of the funding to be used for increased wages and benefits for workers.
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| The NLRB found that Walker Methodist management illegally disciplined Tracy Plante because of her union activism. With the four-year struggle over, she has reason to celebrate. |
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Chris Rootes, Jesse Steen and Nickson Khima look forward to bargaining their first contract as members of AFSCME Council 5. Photos courtesy of AFSCME Council 5. |
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The hard-fought victory came when the National Labor Relations Board in Washington, D.C., rejected appeals by the care center\’s management. Last week, Walker Methodist CEO Lynn Starkovich phoned AFSCME Council 5 Executive Director Eliot Seide to recognize AFSCME as the representative of the health center\’s nursing assistants, LPNs, housekeepers, maintenance, laundry and dietary workers.
|
|
Walker Methodist workers cheered recognition of their union, AFSCME. |
"Walker workers celebrate today because we know that our votes count," said Tracy Plante, a Walker Methodist LPN. "Now we can bargain together for good wages, benefits and working conditions. And we will have a powerful voice to improve patient care."
"The decisions of the NLRB bring to a close this chapter of our employees\’ efforts to form a union," said Starkovich. "We now look forward to working cooperatively with their chosen representative, AFSCME Council 5, to achieve a fair agreement that may benefit everyone and serve the needs of our residents."
"Nursing home workers deserve respect and quality compensation because they give dignity and quality care to our most vulnerable elders," noted Seide. "We look forward to negotiating our first contract with Walker Methodist."
Walker Methodist workers voted to join AFSCME on May 30, 2003. A separate election for licensed practical nurses was held on July 30, 2003, but the LPN ballots were impounded for nearly four years while the company made appeal after appeal to the NLRB. At each level, the workers\’ right to a union was upheld.
Last Thursday, the ballots in the LPN election were finally counted and the vote was 35-6 in favor of union representation.
The Walker Methodist campaign has become a case study for why federal labor law needs to be changed. AFSCME and other unions are backing the Employee Free Choice Act, which would require employers to immediately recognize a union if a majority of workers sign representation cards.
AFSCME said it received strong support from the community, including the Methodist Church, during the long campaign.
With 600 workers and 490 residents, Walker Methodist Health Center is the largest nursing home in Minnesota. It is located at 3737 Bryant Ave. S. in Minneapolis. AFSCME Council 5 represents 43,000 public and non-profit workers across the state.
Walker Methodist workers will now choose a bargaining committee and begin the process of negotiating their first contract. Management and union also said they plan to advocate together at the state Legislature for a rate increase for nursing home facilities, with three-quarters of the funding to be used for increased wages and benefits for workers.
|
| The NLRB found that Walker Methodist management illegally disciplined Tracy Plante because of her union activism. With the four-year struggle over, she has reason to celebrate. |
|
|
Chris Rootes, Jesse Steen and Nickson Khima look forward to bargaining their first contract as members of AFSCME Council 5. Photos courtesy of AFSCME Council 5. |