Workers at Temple University
Hospital in Philadelphia recently returned to work after a successful
month-long strike. Led by the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and
Allied Professionals, the workers defeated management’s attempts to impose
longer working hours, blunted cuts to benefits, and ensured that the hospital
remained a closed shop.
The most outrageous measure the
employer proposed was a “non-disparagement” clause. If implemented, it would
have prevented staff from publicly discussing hospital problems relating to an
understaffed workplace, reflecting management’s desire to minimize costs and
maximize profits. This would have been a gross violation of workers’ right to
free speech and their obligations to patients.
Similar attacks against workers are being
carried out across the country. The bosses want to take advantage of the
current economic crisis to roll back gains labor has won over the years. The
workers at Temple University Hospital have shown that this can be prevented if
we organize and fight back.
