Nursing home won't fight union vote

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.syracuse.com/business/index.ssf?/base/business-12/120894128015030.xml&coll=1

Workers and officials at Iroquois in Jamesville now plan contract talks in May.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
By James T. Mulder
Staff writer

Iroquois Nursing Home in Jamesville has dropped its challenge of a March 7 election in which workers at the home voted to join 1199 SEIU, the health care workers union.

Both sides reached a settlement Tuesday, said Al Davidoff, an 1199 vice president. The National Labor Relations Board was scheduled to hear Iroquois' objection to the vote this week.

As part of the deal, both sides agreed to begin negotiating a contract next month, Davidoff said.

"The workers worked long and hard for this," Davidoff said. "They now have their union and they will have the opportunity to work out a good contract."

Iroquois officials did not return phone calls for this story.

Union members plan to rally in downtown Syracuse this afternoon to celebrate the settlement at Iroquois and focus attention on contract negotiations under way at Crouse and Community General hospitals.

FULL 2 page story at link.

[midnight]

1. This is something in the age of republican rule that a union is

making progress.