The Truth About Duggan

Here are some of the inaccuracies that Mallett, who is currently a chief administrative officer at DMC, made on the Tony Trupiano show today:

Duggan campaign falsehood: “There was a major effort by the nurses’ union out of California to organize the nurses on the DMC campus”

Truth: DMC nurses approached the Michigan Nurses Association, the most effective union for registered nurses in the state, which responded to their request for help to stand up against terrible conditions and unsafe patient care at the facilities.  The organizing effort that took place in 2007 and 2008 was initiated by DMC nurses and supported by MNA.

Duggan campaign falsehood: DMC was “not resistant” to the DMC nurses’ efforts to organize

Truth: DMC administration, led by Duggan, waged a sustained campaign of intimidation, threats and misinformation against DMC nurses, leading to Unfair Labor Practice charges and involvement of the National Labor Relations Board. Hostile administration actions against nurses included surveillance, retaliation, interrogations and banning pro-union literature while sending excessive amounts of anti-union propaganda to nurses’ homes.  

Duggan campaign falsehood: “The employees turned the nurses’ union down”

Truth: DMC administration, led by Duggan, suppressed the organizing effort and dragged its feet through interminable labor board proceedings and insisted on packing the voting group with supervisors and managers. DMC nurses chose not to hold anelection under these hostile circumstances.

Duggan campaign falsehood: There was no “inter-union cooperation or support” for the organizing effort

Truth: The organizing drive initiated by DMC nurses had broad support, including from the SEIU and AFSCME members employed there, as well as other unions; multiple local faith and community leaders; local and state elected leaders such as Coleman Young III, Fred Miller and Gov. Jennifer Granholm; and respected organizations such as Sugar Law Center for Social and Economic Justice.

Sources: Tony Trupiano interview with Conrad Mallett, Sept. 27, 2012; MNA research and documentation  available here.
 

Photos from the DMC organizing campaign
 

On April 30, 2007, Ceferina Sharp, RN, a nurse at the Detroit Medical Center, displayed the stack of anti-union literature she had received at her home during the nurses' organizing campaign to members of the House Labor Committee.

Representative Fred Miller shares his concerns after listening to the DMC nurses testify about the anti-union tactics used by the Detroit Medical Center. The meeting between Miller, then chair of the House Labor Committee, took place on April 30, 2007.

(L-R) Saundra Williams, Detroit Metro AFL-CIO president, stands in support with MNA Executive Director John Karebian during a rally held to encourage the Detroit Medical Center nurses on October 4, 2007.

On October 4, 2007, union health care professionals and supporters from across Michigan joined with Detroit Medical Center nurses in a visible display of support for the organizing campaign.

In 2007, Representative Coleman Young III was a visible supporter of the Detroit Medical Center nurses' organizing campaign. He followed the campaign closely, attended nursing events and held a town hall meeting where nurses from DMC and other area hospitals shared alarming stories about the need for safe patient care legislation. He also took time to talk one-on-one with the DMC nurses; Young is pictured with Frankie Moore, a registered nurse from Hutzel Hospital.

Detroit Medical Center nurses led over 200 union members in a public display of the nurses' concern for the safety of their patients.

During the 2007 Labor Day Mobilization Luncheon, Saundra Williams, Detroit Metro AFL-CIO president, encouraged all the labor leaders in the room to support the Detroit Medical Center nurses' organizing campaign. "We need to support each other," she encouraged the group, who signed a petition in support of a fair election process.