Providing workers a free and fair choice to join a union has fostered a collaborative partnership with healthcare employees that translates into high-quality patient care.

In Partnership With: AFSCME, SEIU

Quality patient care begins with democracy in the workplace

Gwendolyne Lowry, a 38-year veteran of St. Joseph’s Hospital and AFSCME member, aptly describes the alliance between NPHS and its unions as “a joint venture.”  Says Lowry, “They know that the union is here just as much for them as it is for us.”  The partnership has produced a number of employee programs including a safety-awareness initiative and a career progression track that enables certified nursing aides to become registered nurses.

The cooperative labor-management approach benefits the employer as much as the employees.  In the mid-1990s, NPHS experienced an economic downturn and nearly had to close its doors.  Unions stepped in and helped secure the money and political backing needed to keep the facilities open. James A. Gloner, Senior Vice President for Management Systems at NPHS, states, “If we didn’t work together, the organization would not exist.  The employees and the unions that represent them are the backbone of the organization.”