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NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD RULES AGAINST OUR LADY OF PEACE

JUDGE ORDERS EMPLOYEE BACK TO WORK, BACK WAGES PAID

 

Louisville, KY—This week, in a stunning rebuke of the anti-union policies of Our Lady of Peace

hospital, a judge from the National Labor Relations Board ordered wrongfully terminated employee

Amanda Doyle back to work. Our Lady of Peace, or OLOP, is owned by Jewish Hospital/Saint Mary’s

Healthcare, which was recently denied its proposal for a merger with University Hospital and Catholic

Health Initiatives by Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear.

The former employee, Amanda (Amy) Doyle, was terminated in September 2011 for allegedly violating

the hospital’s solicitation and distribution policies. Doyle had been a supporter of a campaign by the

American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Council 62, to organize mental health

workers at Our Lady of Peace. Doyle was terminated for her participation on the union organizing

committee at the hospital. Shortly after her termination, AFSCME Council 62 filed an unfair labor

practice with the NLRB on Doyle’s behalf.

The charges alleged that Our Lady of Peace terminated Doyle “for engaging in protected activity and to

discourage membership in a labor organization.” The judge heard testimony from several former and

current Our Lady of Peace employees, including Doyle herself, and CEO Jennifer Nolan.

“It was clear to us from the beginning that this was a case of employer retaliation against an employee

who was exercising her protected rights under the NLRA,” said David Warrick, executive director of

AFSCME Council 62. “There was no question that we should pursue a charge with the NLRB and get

Amy the justice she deserves.”

Louisville attorneys Irwin “Buddy” Cutler and Cori Metcalf of Priddy, Cutler, Miller & Meade pursued

the case with the NLRB, which heard testimony at a hearing in January in Louisville. “After looking at

the facts in the case, I knew that this was an employee worth fighting for,” Cutler said. “It was clear to

me that this was a wrongful termination, and I am thrilled that the judge agreed.”

In his ruling, administrative law judge Arthur Amchan ordered Doyle back to work within fourteen days

and ordered that the hospital post and read aloud to employees a notice that the hospital had violated

federal labor law. Our Lady of Peace has the option to appeal the judge’s ruling, but Metcalf, attorney for

AFSCME, considers this move unlikely to succeed. “The judge ruled definitively in this case that OLOP

broke federal labor law. While the hospital may appeal, Judge Amchan’s ruling makes it clear that OLOP

must stop its take-no-prisoners anti-union campaign.”

For further information, please contact David Warrick at 317-632-1432 or Joe Phelps at 502-693-2002.

 

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Brothers and Sisters of AFSCME Council 62:

The voices of the working people fell on deaf ears as Republicans ignored the tens of thousands of protestors surrounding the Indiana Statehouse and rammed the “Right to Work for Less” bill down our throats. Over the past few months, each one of those legislators had received thousands of letters, phone calls, e-mails and personal face-to-face conversations with workers opposing the bill.   Speared on by outside interest groups, corporate greed and their own personal politics, they locked the people out of their statehouse, refused public testimony in committees, fined Democrats opposed to their anti-worker legislation and spewed lie after lie out to the people to get this bill passed.

It is very disappointing our elected leaders, charged with the job of protecting and advocating for the people, could do this. But this is just one battle in this war being waged on workers.   We should all be proud of how labor united together and fought against this injustice. I am particularly proud of our AFSCME brothers and sisters who fought right along with all of labor, standing in defiance of those who would oppose the rights and the will of the people.

The people will have their voice this November. It is up to us to not let them forget what happened to them in February.

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What do we want for Indiana?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5x5htJ3fIA&feature=youtu.be