Septmber 25, 2009
This year for the first time many hosptials and medical centers are requiring their employees to get vaccinations. The trend is being fueled by frustration at the stubbornly low proportion of health-care workers who get vaccinated each year despite years of coaxing, urging and incentives to do so voluntarily, combined with trepidation that the swine flu pandemic could overwhelm the health-care system, especially if many caregivers get sick, too.
“We want to do everything we can so we don’t lose people when there may be a peak in demand,” said Jonathan B. Perlin, chief medical officer for the Hospital Corp. of America, known as HCA, in Nashville, which is requiring about 120,000 employees in 163 hospitals, 112 outpatient clinics and other facilities in 20 states get vaccinated.
Link to Article
September 13, 2009
The San Francisco Business Times reported on September 11th that while delegates from the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee (CNA/NNOC) have “voted unanimously” to endorse and join the RN super union (National Nurses United or NNU), some of the other parties involved maybe having second thoughts.
Reportedly, amoung those troubled by the planned merger are some members of the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA). If the merger is eventually completed it will bring together 85,000 RN members of the CNA/NNOC and 41,000 RN members from the United American Nurses (UAN) and the MNA (both of which were formerly affiliated with the American Nurses Association).
Link to San Francisco Business Times Article
September 5, 2009
The Gallup organization recently released the results of their annual Work and Education Survey, which indicates that, for the first time, fewer than half of Americans approve of labor unions. Gallup first asked “Do you approve or disapprove of unions?” in 1936, making this question one of the longest running the opinion research firm has ever maintained. Currently, only 48% of those surveyed, down from 59% one year ago, approve of labor unions.
Link to Gallup Research
September 2, 2009
News agencies are reporting today that Senator Harry Reid is now saying that “The EFCA is off the Senate docket, possibly for the rest of the year.“ Speaking at a Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce event, Reid said the Senate’s schedule is too crowded to consider the Employee Free Choice Act, otherwise known as “card check.”
Link to Article
