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<p class=MsoPlainText>FRANKLIN MEDICAL CENTER NURSES TO TESTIFY TO
WORKERS’ RIGHTS BOARD <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText>On Thursday July 10, a panel of the Western Massachusetts
Jobs with Justice Workers' Rights Board will take the testimony of nurses at
Baystate Franklin Medical Center in Greenfield and issue a report on collective
bargaining there. The hearing will be 6:00-7:30pm at First Congregational
Church, 43 Silver Street, Greenfield. The public, the press, and the
employer are invited. Attendees are asked to come fragrance-free.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText>Across the U.S., Workers’ Rights Boards act as
“the conscience of the community” regarding labor relations,
exposing employers' misconduct and also helping workers form unions and reach
collective bargaining contracts. There is more information at <a
href="http://www.jwj.org/projects/wrb.html">http://www.jwj.org/projects/wrb.html</a>.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText>The Western Mass. Jobs with Justice Workers' Rights Board
consists of two dozen “public citizens” in Western
Massachusetts. The following are on the July 10 panel: <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText>Anne Awad, President/CEO, Caring Health Center Inc
(Springfield); Health Systems Consultant; Amherst Select Person<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText>Mary Lavo Ford, Non-profit Manager; former Outreach
Director, Community Health Center of Franklin County; former Mayor of
Northampton<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText>Ward Morehouse, co-founder, Program on Corporations, Law,
and Democracy<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText>Rev. Armand Proulx, Second Congregational Church of
Greenfield<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText>Al Siano, Greenfield City Councilor<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText>Miryam Ehrlich Williamson, Medical Writer; former Warwick
Select Board member <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText>The Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA) has been
bargaining a new contract at Baystate Franklin Medical Center (BFMC)
since October 2007. The employer, Baystate Health in Springfield, is
showing an anti-union animus at the bargaining table. It
hired Howard Bloom from the well-known union-busting law firm, Jackson
Lewis (<a href="http://www.jacksonlewis.com/">http://www.jacksonlewis.com/</a>).
More information at <a
href="http://www.americanrightsatwork.org/the-anti-union-network/for-profit-union-busters/jackson-lewis-20071018-313-254.html">http://www.americanrightsatwork.org/the-anti-union-network/for-profit-union-busters/jackson-lewis-20071018-313-254.html</a>.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText>Ann Lewin RN will conduct the testimony by BFMC nurses
and also provide basic information. She is the MNA Senior Chair at
BFMC. A nurse for 26 years, she has been at BFMC for 6 years. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>###30###<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText>Jon Weissman, Coordinator<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText>Western Mass Jobs with Justice<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText>640 Page Blvd #101<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText>Springfield MA 01104<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText>(413) 827-0301 <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>Founded in 1987, <a
href="http://www.jwj.org/">Jobs with Justice</a>'s mission is to improve
working people's standard of living, fight for job security, and protect workers'
right to organize. We believe workers' rights are human rights and to be
successful, we have to be part of a larger campaign for economic and social
justice. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>To that end, "J with J" has
created a national coalition and a network of local coalitions that connect
labor, community, student, and faith-based organizations and activists on
workplace and community social justice campaigns. Western Mass JwJ
– founded June 5, 1993 – is now a coalition of almost 60
organizations. </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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