DAYTON — Workers at the Miami Valley Hospital are looking to form a union, and claim management is disciplining and firing those trying to organize.
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News Center 7’s Mike Campbell speaks with nurses and patient care technicians about their efforts LIVE on News Center 7 at 5 p.m.
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Emily Wu is trying to form an organizing committee to explore union representation for nurses and patient care technicians at Miami Valley Hospital. They believe that better working conditions will lead to better care for every patient.
Employees believe their jobs could be in jeopardy for working on union activities, and even for talking with News Center 7.
“A lot of people are afraid to join that committee,” Emily Wu said. “So, we’ve actually had one of our organizers fired.”
Wu says her managers placed her in corrective action for passing out flyers and leaflets in break rooms. They then switched to passing out information on public sidewalks. Miami Valley Hospital police warned the employees.
“We were threatened with arrest by the hospital,” Wu said.
Wu says hospital management is on high alert after Careflight workers successfully formed a union.
“Safe practice, safe patients, less lawsuits,’ Nicole Coleman UAW Union Chairperson for Careflight said.
Coleman says the benefits of a union are obvious. She claims a Careflight crash in 2022 was the final push that sent workers toward unionizing. They still don’t have a contract agreement after seven months of negotiating.
“We believe that fostering an environment built on direct, two-way communication, where we understand and address the daily realities of our caregiver’s needs, makes union representation unnecessary,” hospital leaders said.
Nurses claim the patient-to-nurse ratios are dangerously out of balance, forcing understaffing and the use of traveling nurses.
“Our nurses do not want to work under these unsafe conditions,” Wu said.
Read the full response from Miami Valley Hospital below:
“Our healthcare organization is deeply committed to upholding our core values of respect, integrity, compassion, authenticity, and excellence. We believe that fostering an environment built on direct, two-way communication, where we understand and address the daily realities of our caregivers’ needs, makes union representation unnecessary.
“We will continue to work together with our teams to prioritize their safety and to fulfill our mission: We Care. We Teach. We Innovate. We Serve. We offer competitive compensation and benefits, and outstanding opportunities for personal and professional development and growth. We have demonstrated that we can work directly with our caregivers effectively, as evidenced by year-over-year improvements in our engagement scores and the experience of our patients (including “A” safety grades announced by Leapfrog just this month at all Premier Health hospital campuses).
“Where employees have chosen representation, we will work together productively with the common interest of fulfilling our vision of serving our patients and sustaining a culture of mutual support.”
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