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<p class=MsoPlainText><b>WORKERS’ RIGHTS BOARD ISSUES BAYSTATE FRANKLIN
MEDICAL CENTER REPORT<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText style='text-indent:.5in'>BOARD ASKS "DOES BAYSTATE
WANT TO BE A LEADER IN DELIVERING HEALTH CARE? OR A LEADER IN
UNION-BUSTING?"<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText>On Thursday July 10, at First Congregational Church in
Greenfield, a panel of the Western Massachusetts Jobs with Justice Workers'
Rights Board took testimony from Registered Nurses who are members of the
Massachusetts Nurses Association at Baystate Franklin Medical Center in
Greenfield. The Board’s report on collective bargaining there is
highly critical of BFMC's contract proposals and underlying motivation. A
copy of the report is available upon request.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText>The report concludes:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><i><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Does
Baystate want to be a leader in delivering health care? Or a leader in
union-busting?<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>The
search for a solution to the present tension and malaise is at hand.
Management needs to look no further than its fateful decision to divide and
oppress until the day the hospital can declare itself to be
“union-free”, which, according to the testimony we heard, would
equate to rights-free.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><b><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>We
call upon BFMC to withdraw its proposals regarding shift cancellation,
discipline for sick leave, and bulletin boards, grant a decent pay raise
retroactive to January 1, enter into contract language to protect nurses’
safety from patient violence, settle this contract with all deliberate speed,
and give up its goal, throughout Baystate Health, of operating
“union-free.”<o:p></o:p></span></b></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 were 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; Shays2: WMass Committee on Corporations 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>Founded in 1987, Jobs with Justice'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></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText>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. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>TO
UNSUBSCRIBE, send an email to wmjwj@wmjwj.org with a Subject of "Unsub
Workers' Rights".<br>
<br>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>[Workers'
Rights] posts opportunities for you to learn about and show solidarity with workplace
and working class struggles. And these events are opportunities for JwJ members
to fulfill their pledge: <a href="http://www.jwj.org/pledge.html"><span
style='text-decoration:none'>"</span>I'll be there for workers' rights at
least five times a year!<span style='text-decoration:none'>"</span></a>
This is the core mission of Jobs with Justice (<a href="http://www.jwj.org/">www.jwj.org</a>),
affirming that workers' rights are human rights. To subscribe, send an email to
wmjwj@wmjwj.org with a Subject of "Subscribe Worker's Rights".<br>
<br>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Western
Mass Jobs with Justice<br>
640 Page Blvd #101<br>
Springfield MA 01104<br>
(413) 827-0301 <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
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