A California registered nurse, fired by a major Los Angeles area hospital for speaking out for union representation and patient protections, will be in the White House Wednesday, is participating in a White House Worker Voice Summit.

Allysha Almada, RN yesterday joined Sen. Bernie Sanders for a press conference Tuesday in Washington on Capitol Hill for the introduction of a new bill by Sanders and colleagues to strengthen the right of workers to form a union, and also spoke at an event with AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka in advance of the White House Summit.   

(To arrange an interview with Allysha, call 240-235-2006, 510-273-2264 or 510-273-2246)

Video of Allysha speaking yesterday at an AFL-CIO press conference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NADYPe6eFNs

The Workplace Democracy Act, introduced yesterday, would allow the National Labor Relations Board to certify a union if a majority of eligible workers sign valid authorization cards, a response to rampant violation of worker rights by employers when workers seek to join a union. The bill would also provide mechanisms to limit employer maneuvers to avoid fair negotiations for a first collective bargaining agreement. 

Almada and her colleagues at Huntington Memorial are a case study in why legislation reforms, and improved protection for workers’ rights are needed.

A critical care RN for five years at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena, Ca., one of the largest hospitals in the Los Angeles area, Almada decided they needed a collective voice through a union to reverse what they saw as a dangerous erosion of patient safety.

Last year the RNs asked the California Nurses Association/National Nurses United for help to form a union. Rather than welcome nurses’ efforts to improve patient care, hospital management launched an aggressive and illegal campaign to harass and intimate RNs.

Despite being issued a formal NLRB complaint—citing seven instances of unlawful conduct—management continued its pattern of union-busting through a disputed election held in April, 2015 that CNA/NNU has challenged due to 40 violations of federal law that made a “free and fair election impossible.”

Charges filed by CNA/NNU of illegal actions by the hospital include coercive interrogation of RNs by their managers on how they planned to vote, physical threats and intimidating conduct, open surveillance by the hospital on RNs, requiring RNs to attend mandatory anti-union classes, and a massive increase in hospital security presence intended to create an atmosphere of fear and intimidation.

Almada was a leader of the nurses’ campaign. Her image appeared on bus ads before the election, and she spoke after the election at a community forum featuring U.S. Rep. Judy Chu, Pasadena elected officials, and local faith leaders and other community supporters at which Almada was the only nurse quoted in news reports.

Subsequently Almada was fired on trumped up charges, along with another union supporter, clear retaliation for her patient and union advocacy, says NNU. CNA/NNU has filed charges with the NLRB seeking it to overturn the firings.

Management repression of the nurses seeking a union voice has not stemmed the deterioration of care standards at the hospital, notes NNU. Recently, federal and state health officials have been investigating a suspected outbreak of an antibiotic-resistant “superbug,” and have continued to examine patient care conditions at Huntington.