Florida – From Union-Free to Union-Spree
 
June 28, 2007
 
Guy Farmer - Jacksonville

The state of Florida has long been considered a jurisdiction where private employers could operate without the restrictions imposed when a union represents employees. The announcement last week that the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) had successfully negotiated a contract on behalf of 4,000 Florida employees of hospitals affiliated with HCA, a hospital company based in Tennessee, should sound as a wake-up call of increased union activity to all Florida employers, both in and out of the health care industry.

The SEIU agreements cover workers, including 1,400 registered nurses, at Blake Medical Center, Bradenton; Columbia Hospital, West Palm Beach; Kendall Regional Medical Center, Miami; Northside Hospital and St. Petersburg General Hospital, St. Petersburg; and University Hospital and Medical Center, Tamarac.

In addition to making an all-out effort to organize hospital workers, the SEIU is also organizing nursing homes, Head Start programs and perhaps, most interestingly, the maintenance workers at a number of universities and condominiums. The SEIU’s efforts were the subject of a recent New York Times article focusing on Fisher’s Island entitled “Shop Stewards on Fantasy Island” (June 10, 2007).

The SEIU’s Florida campaign is well financed and the union is relentless in pursuing those employers it has targeted. Obviously, employers can no longer assume that Florida provides a safe haven from unions. And, the SEIU is stepping up its organizing efforts across the country in industries that have typically not been union strongholds. Employers both inside and outside of Florida that want to avoid the problems created by unions organizing their workforces need to adopt an ongoing union prevention plan that includes the following:

• making the right hiring decisions – hiring team players

• establishing effective communications

• establishing a system to encourage employee involvement

• recognizing employees who contribute

• providing competitive wages and benefits

• training supervisors

Employers that properly manage their workforce increase both productivity and profitability while at the same time creating an environment where neither the SEIU nor any other union will be likely to succeed.

For more information, e-mail Guy Farmer at guy.farmer@hklaw.com or call toll free, 1-888-688-8500.