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On February 12, more than 50 activists, labor leaders, and Corizon healthcare workers rallied to organize and fight for quality health care for the their patients – the inmates at the Allegheny County Jail.
An Allegheny County contract with Corizon Health Inc. went into effect on September 1, 2013.
Sister Barbara Finch, a healthcare worker at the jail, came to the United Steelworkers in November after she and her co-workers realized that Corizon’s only concern was for their bottom line and not for the care of the inmates.
When Corizon held meetings at the end of January to try to bully and dissuade jail employees from organizing, employees shared serious concerns about Corizon’s healthcare standards and questionable practices. In one of those meetings, Sister Barbara told fellow co-workers to come to the next union meeting to find out about the organizing drive — instead of listening to Corizon’s Human Resource personnel from Philadelphia. Later that day Corizon pulled one the oldest tricks in the union-buster’s book: they illegally fired her.
Since Sister Barbara’s illegal termination, community members, co-workers, labor allies, and politicians have been speaking out against Corizon’s flagrant union-busting practices. Sister Barbara and another co-worker met with Allegheny County Controller Chelsa Wagner on February 6 to share their concerns about Corizon’s lack of standards, ethics, and safety issues. Controller Wagner issued a letter to the CEO of Corizon with her concerns about Corizon’s inability to comply with the Allegheny County Jail contract. Wagner said that the County would not reimburse Corizon if they failed to remedy these grave concerns.
Along with Sister Barbara and her co-workers, supporters of the Corizon healthcare workers rallied in front of the jail. Speakers included Allegheny Labor Council President Jack Shea, USW District 10 Director John Defazio, Allegheny County Jail medical assistant Olajuwon Shoulder, and Pennsylvania Interfaith Impact Network representative Ron Wanless. Wanless told supporters, “Jesus said, ‘Whatsoever you do to the least of my people, that you do unto me,’ Corizon, when you fired Sister Barbara, you slapped Jesus in the face twice!”
Results of the election on February 14 were for the union – 64 yes votes; 7 no votes and 1 challenged.
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