Scheduled to coincide with the joint meeting between the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, a rally attended by about 30 nurses, community leaders and union supporters was held yesterday in support of some Duke University nurses' effort to unionize.
The rally was one link in a chain of marches, protests and conferences organized worldwide to oppose "corporate greed." Members of the local chapter of Jobs with Justice are highlighting the nurses' cause because of recent Duke actions that they say clearly violate workers' rights and may harm the Durham community at large.
"Duke administrators have shown time and time again that they are not above spending massive amounts of money to subvert the efforts of conscientious students and employees," said Erica Maharg, a sophomore and representative for Students Against Sweatshops. "This was proven when Duke hired a high-priced, union-busting firm in an attempt to squelch the bus drivers' union campaign a few years ago."
With the vote on the fate of the nurses' union looming in mid-October, union advocates now are accusing Duke of pushing for voting rights for nurses who could not participate under a previous decision.
Union organizers fear that voters from research centers and clinics surrounding Duke Hospital-nurses who initially were not included in the vote, are not bedside professionals and may not understand related grievances-will likely vote "no."
Teresa El-Amin, the event's organizer and Jobs with Justice local representative, assured the crowd that the National Labor Relations Board and the local unions would take action if Duke officials alter the rules surrounding the vote.
"Duke is trying to muddle the vote-stop [bed side nurses] from going where they want to go, doing what they need to do," said Henry Loft, a representative of the International Union of Operating Engineers, which is petitioning to represent the nurses.
Central to many of the speeches was the need for better understanding among nurses of what unionization means and what it will mean for them.
Medical Center clinical nurse Marge Dooley said one obstacle to passing the vote is the perception that "professionals" do not unionize. Dooley said that many nurses feel this way, and that seeing broad support for a nurse's union may persuade them otherwise.
Although close to half of those present at the rally were speakers, and the others likely supporters, Dooley believes the involvement of so many community leaders may convince undecided voters that unionization would be beneficial not only for nurses but for the entire Durham community.
In this spirit of public involvement, conference attendees signed a pledge of support for the unionization efforts. Several participants also took with them smaller versions of the petition for other community members to sign.
Through the next few weeks, union proponents will step up efforts to sway voters who are currently sitting the fence. Although volunteers admitted that that nurses who already plan to vote against unionization will not change their minds no matter what, they hope their visibility will attract questions from those still undecided.
Other events coinciding with the WB/IMF meeting were scheduled in both Chapel Hill and Raleigh.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.