One of the most important reasons we stand together and form our Unions is to have a voice on the job—and it’s the main reason our bosses fight so hard when we work to form our Unions. We won some important fights this year for that right to have a voice:

—SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA HOSPITAL AT HOLLYWOOD— In July, the National Labor Relations Board announced that it would put the hospital on trial for its violation of labor law. The hospital retaliated against ICU RN Luis Pedemonte for speaking to his colleagues about the hospital’s illegal and unsafe practice of forcing RNs to clock out “on time” even if there was still charting to do. Too many RNs at the hospital were putting in overtime off-the-clock to complete paperwork. The NLRB agreed that this was a case that needed their attention. We have a right to speak to our colleagues about worksite issues! This was a great first step in SCH Hollywood RNs’ fight to protect our strong voice on the job.

—WEST HILLS HOSPITAL— In October, The National Labor Relations Board re-emphasized that RNs have a VOICE at West Hills Hospital...and it’s UNLAWFUL for the hospital to attempt to silence us. It’s STILL official: we can’t be disciplined for speaking out about issues.Early last year, hospital management suspended our Union Steward Richard Piche. On October 30, 2018, the NLRB entered a settlement with the hospital due to management’s unlawful discipline of our Steward simply for speaking up—as a Steward—about issues that affected all of us, including necessary equipment and lack of support for continuing RN education. In addition to removing the suspension and paying Richard for the time lost (with interest), the hospital posted a notice of this settlement in Richard’s favor.

—LOS ROBLES HOSPITAL— On November 19, 2018, the NLRB entered a settlement with the hospital due to management’s unlawful discipline of an RN simply for speaking up about workload issues that affect all of us. In addition to paying this RN for the time lost (with interest), the hospital posted a notice of this settlement in our colleague’s favor. It served as an official reminder that we may speak up about our concerns related to the good working conditions and proper equipment necessary to safely care for our patients.