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St. Vincent's Strike
Statement of Edward M. Kennedy
St. Vincent/Tenet Nurses Strike Rally Worcester
I wish I could be here with all of you this afternoon.
I'm with you in spirit. I'm proud to stand with the nurses
of St. Vincent's in their struggle for just treatment. Nowhere
is the commitment of the American labor movement to fair and safe
working conditions more evident today than in this strong demonstration
of support by your brothers and sisters in other unions.
In this century, at this state of the art medical
complex, we are disappointed that we are still fighting the battles
of the last century for decent working conditions for American workers.
The days should be long gone when workers are forced to put in more
than a 40-hour week. Too often today, workers are forced to
work longer hours and accept less in return – less pay, fewer benefits
and less loyalty from employers.
These extra hours mean that parents have less time
to spend with their children. Nurses have time and again made
sacrifices, taken on more responsibility, and yet been denied the
financial gains that should accompany increased responsibility.
But they have remained true to their mission of providing high quality
care to their patients. To ask them to give up the fundamental
right of a 40-hour week is unfair, unjust, and unacceptable.
We are proud of your enduring commitment to the
highest quality of patient care. You deserve a supportive
work environment that promotes such care, because your patients
are the real beneficiaries. Nurses deserve to be effective
advocates for themselves, so they can be more effective advocates
for their patients. We will never abandon our commitment to
these basic principals and to the ideals of fair and equitable treatment
for all workers.
I am proud to join in this urgent appeal to the
management of Tenet Health System to live up to these great ideals
of fundamental fairness. We are proud of the commitment and
courage of these nurses, and we wish the success that you so clearly
deserve.
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