New Haven Independent

Posted by: Yair | April 27, 2007 2:00 PM

So Fox is shocked, shocked that the hospital is opposed to a union? I'm sorry his feelings are hurt, but he is not providing a tenable position. The hospital behaved badly, admittedly. Borgstrom is offering a reasonable way to move forward. Fox is rejecting it with a ridiculous offer to just forego the election and pretend the union won. I don't think there is any reasonable substitute for an election -- how could there be? Fox is just playing games.

Posted by: FIX THE SCHOOLS | April 27, 2007 2:01 PM

Fox is incredulous, no, shocked that Borgstrom would want a "union free" hospital.

Beyond the obvious financial and operational reasons why ANY management team would resist unionization, the fact is that a unionization of a workforce represents a failure of management to create an atmosphere of shared mission, goals, and culture among the vast majority of employees. Is it any surprise that Borgstrom would not want to oversee this kind of failure of management?

What "pro-labor" advocates don't see, is that a union is not the most desireable method of negotiating workers rights and responsibilities.

Unionization is a sad outcome of a repressive work environment that leads the majority of workers to believe that they will be better off individually if they bargain collectively. This is only a good outcome if the work environment is terrible, as it was during the growth of labor unions at the turn of the century.

Today, in most places in our country with all of the protections afforded by federal laws, unionization is no longer necessary or desireable to most workers. It turns out to be a cancer on the institution. Just ask the workers at GM who have lost all of their jobs and lots of their retirement due to the uncompetitive cost structure of the company. Unions tend to protect the worst workers, dull creativity, stifle productivity, and muffle people who take pride in being the best at what they do.

Proof of that is found today in that less than 15% of all private sector jobs are still unionized in this country, down from over 40% at it's peak in the middle of the century.

The only growth area for unions that remains is federal, state, and municipal employees. It's booming business in that sector...just as the teachers.

Posted by: Ann | April 27, 2007 4:06 PM

When coporations are attacked, look for the union label.

For your reading pleasure...as follows:

SEIU Union Must Abandon "Card Check" Union Organizing Drives in Pacific Northwest After Finding of Rampant Abuse of Employees' Rights
6,500-large SEIU Local 49 must freeze coercive union organizing tool in midst of its national campaign to make "card check" the law of the land

Portland, OR (April 24, 2007) - In a symbolic victory for employee free choice, a group of workers aided by National Right to Work Foundation attorneys have forced Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 49 to abandon the coercive "card check" union organizing process in Oregon and Washington for six months because of repeated and widespread abuses by SEIU officials.

The settlement stems from federal unfair labor practice charges filed by Ryan Canney, a Portland-area Siltronics employee, and removes the unwanted union from his workplace Somers Building Maintenance -Siltronic (SBM).

In October 2006, SEIU Local 49 union officials allegedly tricked Canney and his coworkers into signing "information flyers" that were later counted as votes favoring unionization. Soon after, SBM recognized the SEIU union as the monopoly bargaining agent despite the fact that an overwhelming majority of SBM employees signed two separate petitions to the NLRB - one prior to the SEIU union's recognition and one after - stating their wish to remain nonunion. Canney also charged that Siltronics overlooked out of date cards, promised benefits, and otherwise deceived and coerced employees into supporting unionization.

You can back this info up by reading a news release from the "National Right to Work Foundation Legal Defence Foundation.

Here is what I have to say to Mr. Fox and the SEIU, "kiss my non union label".

Posted by: namvetswife710 | April 27, 2007 6:13 PM

A union decides to target a workplace, then the union drives a wedge between employer and employees, then they beat the employer down by bad publicity. This is called corporate campaigning 101.

Now ask yourself this, if the SEIU was so sure that the employees wanted them in YNHH, they would let them vote. They would not have had pizza parties for YNHH employees to get them to sign a guest card "union vote card", they would not have harassed and stalked people to get them to sign a "union vote card" and telling them it was to obtain info on 1199, they would not have had used union members hard earned dues payments to put people on tv adds and newspaper adds.

I sat in on many of those hospital meetings. I don't care what YNHH admitted to, I never experienced anything like what is being said.

Posted by: Kris | April 27, 2007 8:55 PM

The union was never going to win the election,never ever ever!!If Marna ever agrees to let those scumbags in without holding an election I will tell you what,we the employees of YNHH will have the fastest decertification election the SEIU has ever seen.If the union put half as much effort into fighting for their already unionized kitchen workers maybe they wouldnt be getting paid $2.00 less an hour than the lowest paid YNHH NON unionized employees.I am no accountant but $2.00 less an hour AND paying union dues....hmmm why dont we want or need a union?Isnt the kitchen working without a contract right now? My 5% raise was sweet...thanks Marna : ) Dont worry kitchen employees,Mr.Fox will work on getting you a contract as soon as he is done bashing Marna and the rest of Yale.Im sure he is financialy suffering right along with all of you that havent gotten your raise yet this year.It must be nice to have your annual eval and not get a raise...retro pay later doesnt feed your kids today.

Posted by: Disgusted Taxpayer | April 28, 2007 5:43 AM

Lawrence Fox claims he and the union are not tied to the mob -- but he sure acts like he is. Fox's idea of unionization is not to hold elections -- Fox has never wanted an election. He wanted to go around to employee's homes with his thugs and intimidate people to sign union cards -- no election. That is exactly what the union has been working on for years on a national basis. This is how they carry it out on a local basis. In this, YNH is correct and Fox is the liar about who wanted what and when. Sure, YNH was going to make it difficult to unionize -- who wouldn't given how these thugs publicly attack and humiliate good companies just so they can get their union dues. Look if this was such a good idea, union membership would be stronger.

More importantly though, is the Mayor DeStefano and certain members of the Board of Aldermen acted in equal bad faith as the union. Permits and approvals never should have been tied to any agreement with the union. New Haven, the State of Connecticut and the country needs the Yale Cancer Center. It will save lives and conduct life saving research that will benefit all of us. That DeStefano fanned the flames of this dispute, that Carl Goldfield and others engaged in their own campaign against the YCC is the real disgrace. These so-called public servants, for more than a year, helped foment a campaign to discredit the hospital and its executives for a union who did not have a prayer of winning a real election, and whose prospective union members do not all live in New Haven.

Posted by: Ann | April 29, 2007 10:29 AM

In the words of the great Dr. King:

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. The true neighbor will risk his position, his prestige and even his life for the welfare of others."

Is that blunt enough for you Mr. Fox? The employees of YNHH want the vote. It's all about freedom for what we believe in, and our rights as employees and people. We stand strong!!!! Those RN's and non eligible voters came out to speak for the good of others. Not because people were told to by management. At YNHH we all work side by side for the good of our patients and their families. Marna B. is doing the same for her employees. I would say she is out of her comfort zone. Can 1199 and Mr. Fox say the same? 1199 is using those poor organized food service workers, stringing their contract along to benefit their own plan. Not the good of others. If the organized people at YNHH want to have a union decertification, they would have a lot of help.

Thank you Marna for trying.

Posted by: edward_h | April 29, 2007 12:35 PM

Even if there is a vote Fox and his cronies are guaranteed to try more legal action citing the vote has been "posioned".
Fox keeps citing his and the Unions "beliefs". Guess what Fox, just because you believe something does not make it true. Does he have some facts to back up his and the unions claims?

Posted by: CardCheckNoNo | April 30, 2007 8:31 AM

Funny how the SEIU don't want their employees to be represented by a Card Check Election.....Why not???????????

Through studies they commission, speeches to members, and statements to the press, union chiefs extol the alternative organizing method called "card check." It's a process everyone knows is rife with intimidation and misinformation, but hey, these guys gotta stop their membership decline. So it's notable that while labor leaders are trying to take away representation elections from working Americans, they don't recognize their own staff and field employees' attempts to unionize through card check.

The most recent example comes from the blog Laboring Away At The Institute, which reports:
SEIU Local 49 in Portland forced its own organizers to file a petition with the NLRB for an election this month (case 36-RC-6381) instead of voluntarily recognizing them based on authorization cards. If a union isn't willing ! to trust cards signed by union organizers, why on earth should we trust cards signed by anyone else? Once again, free choice apparently is only appropriate for people OUTSIDE of unions.
This isn't an isolated case. We've found unions forcing their employees into elections time and again:

In April 2006, the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) trust fund in Cypress, California forced the Teamsters to file a petition in order to represent 150 employees of the UFCW.
In January 2007, UFCW Local 5 officials forced their employees into an election to be represented by the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU).
Only eight days later, the same UFCW local forced employees into an election to be represented by the Federation of Agents and International Representatives.
The UFCW Northern California Trust forced an election for OPEIU in 2000.
In 2002, UFCW forced an election petition from SEIU.

But here's the kicker. The Center for Union Facts (CUF) has run ads highlighting the fact that union bosses want card check for employees to get into the union, but demand elections (and time for a full-blown campaign to try to persuade members into staying) when it comes to kicking a union out. In 1999, the Teamsters forced employees of UFCW Local 1179 into a decertification election. And this year, UNITE HERE -- the hands-down leader in card-check organizing -- forced employees of the AFL-CIO to file a decertification petition instead of agreeing to recognize the card check.

Posted by: Ben Ross | April 30, 2007 10:00 AM

I wonder what the arbitrators suggested when the realization that the management was shone to be non- compliant, and dis-ingenious in dealings with employee attempts to unionize it's workers.
I am not an employee of Yale/New Haven hospital or any union...I get the feeling that the hospital management has been duplicit in its dealing with our community...the bank...the fund for the poor and organized labor....these feelings maybe the result of stored up rage for the manipulations by corporathink and the distribution of wealth/power
in this military/prison/security/HMO era. Not being very close to the issue I guess I will ask some questions tomorrow on the green during the May day celebrations. In the past I have been almost as disappointed with unions as I have been with managements, the lack of vision, creativity, shared responsibility and concern for our environment, the all about me, culture is dumb and will have us desperately looking for last ditch options within the foreseeable future.

Posted by: Rizzo | April 30, 2007 6:16 PM

Borgstom was ill-advised to enter into that stupid agreement with the City. It looks like the Union has a left-leaning union-sympathizing arbitrator on its side. Borgstom should have told 1199 to take a hike - the fact is 1199 would have lost the election, not because of any "wrong" speech by YNHH supervisors, but simply because a majority of employees don't want these dues-sucking parasites or their Marxism. With 1199, each individual stops being an individual and must bow to their collectivism. The reason this agreement occurred is because Borgstrom capitulated to the mayor 1199 has in its pocket. 1199 gives DeStefano money, votes and campaign workers. It's that simple. Rather than playing DeStefano's dirty politics, Borgstrom should have asked the U.S. Attorney's Office to indict DeStefano for extortion. YNHH (and the workers) have a right under federal law to a secret ballot election. DeStefano's misuse of city authority to hold up permits for the cancer center unless the hospital yielded to the interests of his political supporters was criminal. He ought to be in jail.

Posted by: Steve Koch, PRO UNION | April 30, 2007 9:00 PM

I have followed this thread with much interest. I started my career at Community Mediation in New Haven (yes, I live in this City), and recently decided to parlay these conflict resolution skills to labor relations in the State of Connecticut. I am the Southern Connecticut Field Representative for a Labor Union (SEIU, Local 511) that has a Maintenance & Service Collective Bargaining Agreement with the State. We represent thousands of State custodians, DOT workers, Technical High School Maintainers, Department of Mental Health and Addiction workers, DCF, State University employees etc. In other words, most blue-collar workers within the State of Connecticut.

New members ask me on a daily basis what a Union does for them. Well, there are over 130 pages of a bound contract that is painstakingly negotiated with the State every three years. And every member votes on what gets negotiated!Everything from job security, safety, meals, housing, snow/ice assignments, rest periods, discipline, grievance procedures, equalization of overtime, training, personnel records, payroll "glitches" that all too often short the employee, nepotism, transfers, retirement, contracting out...you get the picture. And why are we so strong? Because we are a COLLECTIVE that is willing to stand up to management. Racism, sexism, ageism, favoritism...I run across it every day.

With the hazard of sounding too self-righteous, I will offer you this:

This morning I advocated for an African American DOT member who was unjustly accused of violating a backing policy (the 'white' supervisor was clearly trying to impress the 'white' district manager on-site). This Supervisor on scene ran across the parking lot, jacked open the passenger side door, and threatened the employee with a verbally abusive, profanity laced tirade. Am I taking this all the way up the ladder to the Office of Labor Relations? You bet. Trust me, these guys and gals get shit on every day. Without a union, there would be no protection...no collective voice for better working conditions.

I can't speak intelligently about 1199, but I know that their efforts are virtuous in light of the hospital betrayal. They are a sister SEIU organization, and I back their efforts for a collective bargaining agreement unconditionally.

Remember this:

Here are five good reasons to join your co-workers in uniting to form a union:

# 1 - Working together, union members have the strength to win better wages, affordable health care, a secure retirement, and safer workplaces.

# 2 - The "union advantage" is substantial. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, union members are much more likely to have health benefits and pensions.

# 3 - For people of color and women workers, the union impact is even greater. Women workers who are union members earn nearly $9,000 a year more than their non-union counterparts. For African-American workers, the union differential is also about $9,000, and for Latino workers the yearly advantage is more than $11,000.

# 4 - In addition to helping workers win better wages and benefits, unions help all workers by giving working families a stronger voice in our communities, in the political arena, and in the global economy.

# 5 - By joining together, we can build the strength to hold elected officials accountable, stop the "race to the bottom" by employers who cut wages and benefits in favor of bigger profits, and win improvements such as affordable, quality health care for all.

Posted by: Kris | May 1, 2007 7:09 PM

Hey Steve, lets not turn this union crap into a racial thing.The race card is so overplayed even black people are sick of it.Who cares if the district manager and supervisor were white,black or yellow.What does color have to do with any of this? Why does everything always come down to race?By the way how many SEIU 1199 big wigs are white and how many are black?So you say these workers "get shit on everyday",well that sounds like a great union job to have.Also, i dont thing people need a union for better wages, they need an EDUCATION.If people with lower paying jobs put as much effort into getting an education as they do their "poor little me" sob stories they would be a district manager or CEO of a company.Lets face it,us janitors and CNAs were not taking life or school as seriously as people like Marna Borgstom back in the day because if we did than we wouldnt be janitors or CNAs. Have you ever heard anyone say "Ever since i was a little kid i wanted to be a CNA or janitor" You know the old saying "You made your bed ....