LOGAN, W.Va. — Three hundred employees of the Logan Regional Medical Center will now get the chance to have their voices heard after voting to join the United Steel Workers union.
USW represents over 850,000 workers who are employed in many different occupations, ranging from metals to pulp and paper and have now been growing their numbers in health care, higher education, public sector, tech and the service industries.
Larry Ray, District 8 Director for USW, said that the employees joining the union means a lot to USW.
“It means a lot to the union, because it shows that the union and the union movement itself is alive and vibrant in today’s age,” Ray said. “And it shows that people still need unions, and they still need the representation in the workplace safety.”
He also said that the union was excited to welcome the 300 employees into the union and they look forward to working with them.
“We’re extremely excited, and welcoming to those employees,” Ray said. “And we look forward to working with the employees and the company in getting a fair and equitable contract quickly so that we can move forward and make that hospital a better facility in the future.”
Canaan Varney, a registered nurse at the center, says that this was something they talked about for years before actually doing something about it.
“It’s something that we’ve kind of been saying for a long time, everybody’s like we need a union in here, but it’s something that we never really, until we started organizing, nobody really talked serious about it,” Varney said.
During the year of planning, Varney says that they wanted to make sure that they had support from the majority of the employees and were following the correct protocol before the vote happened.
“So, the organizing portion over the last year, we’ve had multiple meetings with the union members, trying to kind of rallying support inside the hospital, but also following the protocols, making sure we have the right numbers, and making sure we had enough card signers to get where we could actually have the election,” Varney said.
He also said that joining the union will allow them to not only fight for their benefits, but it also allows them to continue the care that they give their patients.
“You know I think it means a lot, I mean it’s really a historical thing because it’s going to be beneficial for the patients and to us,” Varney said. “We’re going to have fair wages, continuing to have safe working conditions and ensuring that that happens.”
And on the union side, Ray said that the process for them was all about gaining the employee’s trust.
“You know that process can be tedious at times, because you have to talk to people individually and then you have to talk to them as a group. And you have to build that trust with the group that shows we’re not here just to take your dues, dollars and run on down the road, we’re here to represent you,” Ray said.
Also, a benefit of unionizing, the employees at the center will be able to have a voice within the center, collaborate closer with management, and enhance workplace transparency.