Nurses from HCA Hospitals Nationwide Rally in Support of MountainView...( LAS VEGAS Aug. 24 /...),Health

LAS VEGAS, Aug. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Outraged by the ongoing harassment by Hospital Corporation of America (HCA), dozens of registered nurses from HCA facilities across the country will travel to Las Vegas today to show their support of nurses from the company's MountainView Hospital, after management refused to allow them the choice to freely join the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee (CNA/NNOC).

MountainView is the only non-union HCA facility in Las Vegas and the 450 RNs there were scheduled to hold a vote in July to win collective bargaining rights. The federal labor board has put that election on hold while they investigate the charges against hospital management.

"HCA is the largest hospital chain in America, and they are known for poor relations with all their employees including nurses, and for cutting corners on the type of strict patient safety standards that save lives," said Malinda Markowitz, an RN at HCA's Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose, and co-president of CNA/NNOC. "What we've seen in California is that a strong union can impose patient care and patient safety improvements on HCA and improve outcomes at its facilities."

WHAT: HCA Nurse Solidarity Rally for MountainView RNs

WHEN: Today, August 24, 2009 - 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

WHERE: Sidewalk in front of MountainView Hospital - 3100 N Tenaya Way, Las Vegas

Upon filing for an election in mid-June with the National Labor Relations Board, management responded with a brutal campaign of intimidation led by high-priced union-busting consultants. RNs were pulled from the bedside on a daily basis to attend mandatory anti-CNA meetings, leaving patients without adequate care. As the election date approached, threats, surveillance, and interrogation became commonplace.

"Management has proven our point wi
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