REGISTERED NURSE UNIONS AND PATIENT OUTCOMES
Researchers Jean Ann Seago, PhD, RN and Michael Ash, PhD have published several papers on their findings regarding the impact of nurse unions on patient outcomes. Based on an analysis of inpatient data from acute care hospitals in California, they found that hospitals with unionized RNs had a 5.5% lower heart attack mortality rate than hospitals without a nurse union. While the researchers did not establish the cause of the difference they did suggest that RN unions can improve retention, staffing levels, professional autonomy and collaboration with doctors, all factors that contribute to better patient care.
PRESENTATIONS AT NURSE CONFERENCE
A half-day conference sponsored by the School of Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago, the RN2RN Network and AFSCME Council 31 was held on Septembet 25, 2010 at the UIC Medical School Campus. RNs from around the region attended to discuss challenges facing bedside nurses and opportunities for nurses to work together to address those challenges.
The keynote speech was given by Dana Beth Weinberg, PhD about her book Code Green: Money-Driven Hospitals and the Dismantling of Nursing.
See Weinberg's presentation.
Jean Ann Seago, RN, PhD from the University of California San Francisco and Denise Duncan, RN from the United Nurses Association of California/Union of Health Care Professionals led a workshop at the conference on nurse staffing ratios. They presented recent research on the California law that sets state-wide nurse-to-patient ratios and perspectives from nurses in California on how the quality of care has improved since the law was implemented.
See Seago's presentation.
Katherine Cox, MPH from AFSCME led a workshop on the impact of health care reform on the nursing profession. Her presentation contained a lot of nurse-related information in the new law and opportunities it presents for improving nursing practice.
CONGRESSIONAL LETTER
In July of 2006, Twelve members of Congress from Illinois, including Senators Barack Obama and Richard Durbin, sent a letter to Resurrection CEO Joseph Toomey urgning him to engage his employees in a positive dialogue.
See the letter
Open Letter to Resurrection Health Care
In 2005, over 2,000 Catholics in the Chicagoland area signed on to a letter to Resurrection Health Care asking them to: (1) Respect their workers' rights to organize; (2) Reinstate all fired union supporters; (3) Stop all anti-union activity; (4) Begin a dialogue with the employee organizing committee, HEART/AFSCME, to ensure a fair organizing process. See the letter
Freedom of Association and Workers’ Rights Violations at Resurrection Health Care (August 2004)
Executive SummaryThis study applies a human rights analysis to actions by Resurrection Health Care (RHC) management in response to employees’ efforts to exercise the right to freedom of association. Under international law, freedom of association encompasses the right to form trade unions and bargain collectively. These are fundamental human rights that must be respected by governments, employers, and unions.
Some of the actions of RHC management in its response to workers’ exercise of the right to form and join a union are consistent with human rights principles and obligations. However, some actions demonstrate a systematic pattern of interference with workers’ organizing rights and reflect a failure to meet human rights principles and obligations.
Focusing on union rights rather than worker rights is management’s basis for launching an aggressive campaign of interference against RHC workers’ organizing efforts. Management asserts that it is battling the union, not battling its own employees. However, workers are the ones who suffer management harassment, intimidation, spying, threats and other violations of rights recognized under international human rights law.
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