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YahooBOSTON – Caritas Christi Health Care, the largest community based health system in
A press conference to officially announce the accord will be held
Representing a major breakthrough for labor relations within the state's health industry and across the region, the move by
As the state's second largest healthcare employer with 13,000 employees,
As a continuation of the Caritas tradition of innovation and excellence, the accord will serve not only to ensure fair union voting conditions for the system's employees, but also promises to help current and future union members within Caritas facilities coordinate more closely with management to build a high quality and economically sound organization devoted to compassionate, quality, patient-centered care for the people of
Senior
"Today's groundbreaking agreement is good for health care, good for workers and good for hospitals," said the statement from Senator Kennedy. "This partnership establishes a firm foundation for future progress that will benefit both the hardworking people in our health care industry and the people of
A separate joint statement from Senators Kennedy and Kerry, along with members of the Massachusetts Congressional delegation, will be presented at the press conference.
The breakthrough was also met with acclaim from
"Caregivers perform one of the most critical roles in helping the sick, but their services are some of the most undervalued. This accord supports those who dedicate their time and energy to care for countless patients every day," said Mayor Menino. "Through this commitment between
Senate President
"A highly trained and skilled workforce is essential to maintaining quality healthcare," Senate President Murray said. "This agreement represents that commitment to excellence, and I congratulate everyone involved in making sure we have the best workers and health care services available."
"As we move toward a new era of unity, it is only fitting that we all come together to tackle the enormous and complex issue of providing the highest quality care in a fiscally responsible manner. This accord again reflects that the Caritas family of hospitals are not just in communities, but rather are a part of communities; it is only with all segments of a community working together that we will achieve the level of cost efficient quality care
"We are thrilled that the new leadership of Caritas has affirmed the right of hospital workers to make the decision for ourselves on whether to join together as a union," said St. Elizabeth's Medical Center employee
"The urgency of our national healthcare crisis requires everyone - employers, patients, caregivers, and elected leaders - to come together to build bold, enduring solutions to ensure that everyone has access to affordable, quality-driven healthcare," said
"This forward-thinking accord will give workers a free choice about uniting to advocate not just for their patients and themselves, but also for the long-term sustainability of their hospitals and the noble mission of
"We are very excited and looking forward to this new working relationship with
"This is part of a movement to change healthcare for the benefit of all," said
Joint Statement from
"We aspire to create new opportunities to ensure quality patient care; service to the poor; patient access to services; and improved and more collaborative working conditions for employees.
We affirm our commitment to creating a more positive workplace environment, one that promotes dignity, mutual respect and harmony; employee participation in decisions which affect their work; and a work environment that ensures employee safety and well-being; and opportunities for advancement, learning and growth.
We mutually dedicate ourselves to creating and preserving a sound patient care environment, to serving the poor, and to providing access to services that are essential to caring for human needs.
We share a commitment to a core principle of Catholic Social Teaching that workers have the right to decide through a fair process - free of coercion and based on accurate and truthful information - whether and by whom to be represented in the workplace.
We share a commitment to the ethical and moral tenants of Catholic Healthcare.
To this end, we commit to deepening our existing relationships at Good Samaritan Hospital and St. Elizabeth's Medical Center, and fostering more cooperation on matters of interest to the system, its employees, its patients, and the community."
