Labor board again accuses UPMC of anti-union tactics

PITTSBURGH (AP) - The National Labor Relations Board has again accused the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center of engaging in anti-union tactics.

The complaint was announced Thursday by the Service Employees International Union, which has been trying for years to unionize some 3,500 non-clinical employees.

In November, an administrative law judge found UPMC engaged in unfair labor practices and ordered the health network to halt certain practices, including denying non-employee organizers access to its cafeteria, conducting surveillance on employees and organizers, and barring workers from wearing union insignia in non-patient care areas.

UPMC appealed that finding.

The new complaint contains similar allegations, but none more recent than June 2014.

UPMC says the union "has yet again resorted to manufactured unfair labor practices charges in an attempt to discredit UPMC," which claims the employees don't want to unionize.

Source: WFMJ.com

Kenney receives union endorsement for mayoral candidacy

Philadelphia Councilman Jim Kenney hasn’t officially declared his candidacy for mayor yet. But that hasn’t stopped people from endorsing him.

Kenney earned the backing of the National Union of Hospital and Health Care Employees District 1199C on Wednesday. The 13,000-member union includes employees from most of the city’s major hospitals and several of the region’s nursing homes.

The union’s president, Henry Nicholas, released a statement in support of Kenney, calling him a “lifelong advocate for Philadelphia’s working families.”

“He came from a union home as the son of a firefighter and he’s earned his own union card at age 17,” Nicholas stated. “Jim has worked to protect bargaining rights and has always been a straight talker in his approach with labor. He has the experience and values to move this city forward for all Philadelphians, and I strongly urge him to run for mayor.”

Along with District 1199C, Nicholas also heads the larger National Union of

Hospital and Health Care Employees, a division of AFSCME that represents almost 43,000 workers.

Nicholas was a strong advocate for Kenney’s campaign in a labor union meeting last week. John Dougherty, leader of local chapter of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, hosted the meeting and called Kenney a potential “dark horse” candidate.

Dougherty expressed discontent with the three declared Democratic candidates: former District Attorney Lynne Abraham, former Common Pleas Court Judge Nelson Diaz and State Sen. Anthony Williams.

The District 1199C endorsement was not the only support Kenney received Wednesday. Mark Segal, the publisher of Philadelphia Gay News, released a statement supporting Kenney’s resignation from City Council.

Segal praised Kenney’s record on LGBT issues, calling him a “friend of the LGBT community” who “has sponsored, co-sponsored or supported every LGBT equality measure in Council for the last 23 years.”

Though Segal did not explicitly encourage Kenney to run for mayor, his statement sure read like an endorsement.

“And with his resignation we look forward to the next step in his efforts to create progressive policies that move Philadelphia in the right direction for not only Philadelphia’s citizens of today, but makes Philadelphia a city for the next generation,” Segal stated. “We in the LGBT community welcome the next chapter in Jim Kenney’s life of public service.”

Kenney announced his resignation from the City Council Tuesday to reporters. In this meeting, he did all but officially declare a candidacy, even outlining campaign strategies. He is expected to decide on a campaign in the next week.

Source: Politics PA