Nurses rally in Corpus

(Texas Alliance for Retired Americans)

The California Nursing Organizing Committee and local nurses marched in the cold and rain in Corpus Christi Monday, February 22, against Spohn Hospital. Texas AFL-CIO President Becky Moeller was there and gave a rallying speech on behalf of the nurses and labor in general.

Abel Herrero, Texas St Rep Dist 34 showed his support with his voice and his feet. Also Ray McMurrey, President of Corpus Christi AFT, also encouraged the nurses and marched with them. There were labor representatives there representing Texas AFL-CIO, AFT, CWA, USW, and ACE/USW (the city workers).

Missy Gorbet is pictured. The NLRB has ruled that Spohn unjustly suspended her for union activities. Spohn had to pay her her lost wages. Another employee won in the same grievance.

We marched from Coles Park on Ocean Drive, down a couple of blocks to the administrative offices of the hospital. There we tried to give them cards that several hundred people had signed asking for the hospitals in the Spohn chain of hospitals to give their nurses a reasonable nurse to patient ratio. The front doors were locked on us and we found the employees entering their cars parked in the back and leaving to avoid us.

Photos by Gilberto Porter, staff rep for AFT. For more photos:

http://picasaweb.google.com/gilbertoporter/20100223?feat=directlink

--Elaine Jones

Corpus Christi AFT #3456, Staff