Hospital Union Resorts to Intimidation Tactics Against Workers Who Opt Out

Capitol Confidential ^ | 2/27/2014 | Jarrett Skorup

[MichCapCon]

Kollin VanDenHeuvel is a college student in a 90-day temporary position that offers no benefits at Flint's Hurley Medical Center. So he said he saw little advantage to joining the union.

In response, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 1603 union posted his name on a list at the hospital to serve "notice" that he exercised his rights under state law and opted out of the union.

VanDenHeuvel and three other workers names were posted on a bulletin board in a public area near the hospital cafeteria. Michigan's right-to-work law no longer requires workers to pay dues or fees to a union as a condition of employment.

"I believe it is posted as intimidation to try to get others to question us members [on] why we chose to opt out," VanDenHeuvel said.

Sondra Ellison also was on the list. She had been a member of the union for 27 years before opting out.

"It was very upsetting to me because it was such a public place," Ellison said. "It was just there for anyone who just came in."

Ellison said she thought it was done to intimidate others from leaving the union. She said she went to the hospital administration and asked to have the list taken down and it was.

"My employer should be able to protect my privacy at least from the general public," Ellison said.

Another worker who opted out of the union, Shannon Leonard, has worked at the medical center for six years. She said the union did not help her even when she was bumped out of jobs and moved to part-time positions.

"The union has never helped me. [I] always had to fight my way back to full time," Leonard said. "This is the reason behind choice along with the financial need to save the money on dues. I do feel that it was unnecessary to post our names on a board for all to see. I could have understood the post being present in the union office for the officials to see, but they actually posted it in the hallway to our cafeteria where not only employees could view it, but the public also. I don't appreciate my full name being disclosed like this."

The Greater Flint AFL-CIO Labor Council, which represents the AFSCME Hurley Medical Center Employees Local 1603, didn't respond to a request for comment.

The Hurley Medical Center released a statement saying it was not getting involved in union business.

"While Hurley Medical Center is always appropriately concerned with legal rights pertaining to workforce members and issues, the administration of Hurley Medical Center does not get involved in internal union business," the statement read.

Unions from around the state have been posting the names of workers who opt out. The International Union of Operating Engineers Local 324 referred to 19 workers from across the state as "freeloaders" in its newsletter that it also published online.

A local affiliate of the Michigan Education Association in the Upper Peninsula did the same thing with 16 employees who opted out.

[cripplecreek]

They can’t even refrain from attacking in the comments after the story.

[Pollster1]

That is a whole lot milder than the tactics union thugs used against me when I refused to join. I was a small, skinny teenager, working a minimum wage summer job, and two thugs cornered me on my way home and warned me I would “get hurt” if I didn’t join or quit. I have hated unions ever since, and I hope these victims and those who hear about the bullying against other workers (not that bullying their fellow workers is less evil than threatening and attacking the employer, but the evil is more obvious even to those with a warped world view) will feel the same.

[CodeToad]

Unions = Liberal Thieves.

He should make I perfectly clear a reason why he opted out is because of the liberal thug tactics such as that.

[Portcall24]

Simple: Post the names, home addresses and salaries (including perks) of the union leaders on the same bulletin boards as well as on flyers in the employee parking lots.

[JimRed]

Your name posted publically? Tear it down, cover it up, graffiti over or otherwise delete it. When no one’s looking, of course.

[Cowgirl of Justice]

Or add the union officials’ names.

[MWFsFreedom]

I work in a hospital in a bad area and can tell you that it is policy to NOT disclose our last names to patients. We see too many criminals and mentally ill for that to be safe. The local nursing students all arrive with first and last name on their school-issued badges, and the First thing we do is cover up their last names for their own protection. This is clearly not only intimidation, it’s an invasion of privacy, and can put many hospital workers in serious danger.