On Saturday, Laura Buenrostro, spoke to a group of 200 protesters. The group were asking that West Suburban Hospital stop retaliation against employees who join the AFSCME/HEART union organizing committee.
On Monday Ms. Buenrostro was told by the management of West Suburban Hospital that "We don't need you anymore." Ms. Buenrostro is a registered nurse with 16 years experience who has supported the right of hospital employees to form a union. She has also campaigned for State legislation to reform staffing levels in hospitals and other medical facilities.
As far as we know, West Suburban hasn't told anyone - including Ms. Buenrostro - why they decided to terminate her. West Suburban Hospital is part of the Resurrection Hospital System, the system which the HEART Committee is seeking to organize. Others who supported HEART have reported having problems with Resurrection, and it is reasonable to speculate that Ms. Buenrostro's termination might have had something to do with the events which took place Saturday.
Ms. Buenrostro's termination comes as the nation's Catholic Bishops agreed on guidelines for Catholic Healthcare systems to use in dealing with workers. Because Resurrection was for the most part formed by mergers with Catholic hospitals, such guidelines would be expected to have some influence on their policies toward staff.
The Catholic guidelines include calls to
- create a pressure free environment,
- allow workers to vote through a fair and expeditious process,
- honor employees’ decision regardless of the outcome.
The new document, "Respecting the Just Rights of Workers: Guidance and Options for Catholic Health Care and Unions," was expected to be available on the Bishop's web site soon.
Since we posted this story we have learned that Ms. Buenrostro was offered a position at another hospital within the Resurrection system.
