Disapproval of CNA Tactics Grows

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4016652664145816928.post-54678713402014111612008-04-15T16:30:00.000-07:002008-04-16T17:02:16.273-07:00Disapproval of CNA Tactics GrowsToday's <a href="http://seiu.org/media/pressreleases.cfm?pr_id=1636">press release</a>: DISAPPROVAL OF CALIFORNIA NURSES ASSOCIATION'S TACTICS GROWS; CNA LEADER ROSE ANN DEMORO NO LONGER WELCOME AT 'DEBS DINNER' CHICAGO -- Amid growing criticism of the California Nurses Association's recent sabotage of union elections among hospital employees in Ohio, CNA Executive Director Rose Ann DeMoro has cancelled her appearance as featured speaker at an upcoming gathering of Chicago's labor and progressive allies. DeMoro was scheduled to deliver a keynote address on April 25 at the 50th annual dinner hosted by the Chicago Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) in honor of Eugene Debs, Norman Thomas, and Michael Harrington. Responding to concerns expressed by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and other unions, however, DeMoro has now declined to appear. "Rose Ann DeMoro does not embody the values of DSA," said Tom Balanoff, president of the SEIU Illinois State Council. "As the head of the California Nurses Association, Rose Ann used the exact same tactics as corporate America in stopping Ohio workers from organizing." Just days before 8,000 employees at nine Catholic Healthcare Partners (CHP) hospitals in Ohio were to vote on whether to form a union with SEIU, as part of a fair process won after a three-year struggle, CNA organizers descended on the hospital workers with an aggressive "vote no" campaign. The CNA's actions were so misleading and intimidating that the elections had to be postponed. "Unfortunately, we did not anticipate that the CNA would take the place of the National Right to Work Committee in launching a campaign to destroy this historic opportunity," said Balanoff. The announcement comes two days after DeMoro cancelled an appearance at the Labor Notes Conference in Dearborn, Michigan. At the last minute, rather than face SEIU members and other protestors led by CHP hospital workers from Ohio, DeMoro chose not to speak at the conference banquet on April 12. Contrary to the accounts from the CNA and Labor Notes organizers, the protest was mostly peaceful. Unfortunately, a brief period of pushing and shoving occurred when conference organizers attempted to block the protestors from entering, which resulted in a number of unintentional injuries—including several SEIU members and organizers. "Our plan was to march peacefully into the board room and support our CHP sisters as they spoke and handed out literature about their stolen right to vote for their union," said Rachael Holland, an SEIU organizer from Ohio. "However, the CNA's supporters in the room ran out to confront us and used physical force to prevent our group from entering the ballroom and voicing our dissent." A photo later posted on the CNA's website, intended to be evidence of violence by protestors, was in fact a photo of Rachael in the midst of the scuffle. To see Rachael's full statement visit: <a href="http://www.openleft.com/showComment.do?commentId=58295">http://www.openleft.com/showComment.do?commentId=58295</a>. For more information, visit www.ShameonCNA.com. ###Shame on CNAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03936177405971846127noreply@blogger.com