Baltimore's NPR Affiliate Focuses on Fair Union Elections

Like so many employers, Summit Park wasted resources on an aggressive campaign to intimidate workers. But that effort failed as the Summit Park caregivers joined together in 1199SEIU and won a contract that benefited both workers and patients.

As Jones explained, the Heart of Baltimore campaign is working to ensure that every caregiver can win a real voice for their patients without facing threats or intimidation. And with healthcare workers filling 1-in-5 Baltimore jobs, any improvements they win benefit the whole city.

Learn more about the Heart of Baltimore

Jones was joined on WYPR by Bill Barry, the director of labor studies at the Community College of Baltimore County. With labor law reform moving slowly at the national level, Barry said, the Baltimore City Council had taken an important step in October by passing a resolution that calls on healthcare employers to allow free and fair union elections for their workers.

When Baltimore healthcare workers have tried to form unions in the past, many employers have taken workers away from the bedside for mandatory anti-union meetings and one-on-one interrogations. These anti-worker campaigns put enormous pressure on an already stressed workforce, waste resources and ultimately take the focus off patient care.

Listen to the WYPR interview