I share the Bulletin’s desire to see an end to the strike at St. Charles Medical Center.
I hope that hospital administrators negotiate a first contract with the Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals that provides medical tech workers a fair wage and the same security the hospital provides nurses who are members of the Oregon Nurses Association.
The contract that the hospital has agreed to with ONA calls for a closed shop. All nurses share in the cost of administering the contract that provides them wages, health insurance, a grievance procedure and other benefits.
Hospital administrators want to treat medical techs differently. They want what is called an open shop. In an open shop workers do not have to join the union or pay dues or fees. But, they still get all the benefits of the union contract —including all wage gains and benefits. Plus, the union is legally required to defend them in any disciplinary actions — for free.
In a closed shop or a workplace where agency fees are paid, all workers who benefit from the union contract pay their fair share to administer that union contract. In an open shop they get something for nothing and their fellow workers pick up the slack.
I think it is only fair to ask everyone who benefits from a union contract to pay their fair share to administer that contract.
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