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The union thus will act as an supporter for worker’s legal rights, including their right not to end up being subject to medicine tests too (although this issue is far more contentious, given that Xanitos also argues that testing is required in the point-of-view of patient basic safety.
A more questionable drug screening issue can be prohibiting every workers from using tobacco, a controversial practice that has become progressively common amongst healthcare establishments. “More hospitals and medical businesses in numerous states are adopting tight policies which will make smoking grounds to turn aside job applicants, declaring they want to increase worker production, reduce medical care costs and encourage more healthy living” (Sulzberger 2011: 1). However , the union states “such guidelines are a slippery slope – that in the event they show successful in driving down medical care costs, companies might be emboldened to bust down on various other behavior by their workers, like drinking alcohol, consuming fast food and participating in high-risk hobbies just like motorcycle riding” (Sulzberger 2011: 1).
Regarding the issue of outsourcing in general, the Taft-Hartley Amendment forbids ‘closed shop’ labor procedures and some contend that prohibiting the use of any outsourced labor, another union argument, provides an impressive de facto closed purchase the hospital. The argued contractual prohibition of outsourcing seems to be the most dubious of all of the union’s claims, given it never protested previous freelancing. However , “in the past, a healthcare facility has outsourced housekeeping and employees were able to keep their particular jobs with no facing additional hurdles” as well as the practices on this specific outsourcing techniques company appear in breach of federal as well as hospital guidelines (Green 2010). Talks remain constant regarding the problems at stake and regardless of the concluding decision, the fact that numerous workers could lose their very own jobs because of the literacy tests and zero-tolerance nicotine plan of the firm illustrates the advantages of unions to behave as self-employed labor supporters for worker’s civil rights, as well as for better wages and benefits.
Referrals
Green, Laura. (2010, November 5). Housekeepers union files lawsuit against St . Mary’s Medical
Middle. The Sun Sentinel. Retrieved February 22, 2011 at http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2010-11-05/news/fl-nurses-lawsuit-20101105_1_hospital-workers-housekeepers-union-contract
Runkel, Ross. (2006, January). Disparate impact. Law Tonto. Retrieved Feb . 22, 2011 at http://www.lawmemo.com/101/2006/01/disparate_impac_1.html
Service Staff International Union. (2011). Standard website. Gathered February 22, 2011 for http://www.seiu.org/splash/
Sulzberger, a. G. (2011, February 11). Clinic shifts smoking ban to smoker prohibit.
The New You are able to Times. Gathered February
