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Let Justice Roll Down Like Waters at St. Francis
Hospital Prayer
Vigil for St. Francis Workers Who Are Organizing for Better
Working
Conditions and Improved Patient Care
Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008
St. Francis' parent corporation,
Tenet Healthcare, signed an agreement with the
Service
Employees International Union (SEIU) to remain neutral during a union
organizing drive at the hospital. Despite this promise, four St. Francis
employees who
are union supporters have been terminated
in recent weeks. At the end of March,
SEIU filed a
complaint with an arbitrator that St. Francis has violated the
neutrality
agreement in more than 200 different
incidents. Workers Interfaith
Network members
gathered with current and terminated St.
Francis nursing
assistants, secretaries, technicians, and nurses to publicly pray
that St.
Francis management will respect the dignity of workers by upholding the
neutrality agreement they have signed. Three clergy also
delivered a
letter from
35 area clergy written to St. Francis CEO David Archer. Mr.
Archer was not
available, but Senior Vice-President Marilyn Robinson met
with the delegation.
Vice-President Robinson stated
that workers were terminated for performance
reasons, not their union
activity.
Workers Interfaith
Network is aware that every incident that workers have
shared may not be
found by an arbitrator to be an actual violation of the
neutrality
agreement, but we remain very concerned about the overall pattern
of the
experiences workers have discussed with us. We believe that the
St.
Francis administration should act quickly to ensure that all supervisors
and managers are following the terms of the neutrality agreement in
their
interactions with employees.
Read
our Open Letter to St. Francis CEO David Archer, signed by 35 area
religious leaders
Background on the Workers Interfaith Network's Support
of St. Francis Workers
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