Nurses Urged To Vote Down Contract Amid Leadership Crisis At Washington Hospital Center

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)

Nurses at Washington Hospital Center are being urged to vote down "insulting contract proposals" after 13 weeks of fruitless negotiations. Meanwhile, as contract talks collapsed last Thursday, the hospital announced that interim president Harry Rider is leaving office early and senior vice president for nursing Elizabeth Wykpisz is unexpectedly leaving June 30. "Their leadership is in crisis," says Nurses United of the National Capital Area Chief Steward Steven Frum. Members of Nurses United last week collected hundreds of signatures from hospital employees informing MedStar, the Maryland chain that owns the hospital, that it has no confidence in the surviving management team. Washington Hospital Center (WHC) "continues to demand contract changes that devalue nurses and our profession," the Nurses United negotiating team reported after the final negotiating session last Thursday. The contract expires at midnight Saturday, June 19. Citing patient safety as their top priority, the union said that "Nurses are not willing to settle for massive wage cutbacks coupled with a lack of commitment to improve staffing. We need the best and brightest nurses to stay at WHC, (but) this will not happen with the proposals (WHC) has on the table. Quality patient care is in great jeopardy." The contract vote is set for June 25-26 and is separate from a possible future strike vote. - Chris Garlock; photo: almost 2000 nurses rallied in May for a fair contract outside the Washington Hospital Center; photo by Adam Wright