While Temple has gotten away with closing Northeastern Hospital--against the life and death concerns of doctors, community members and health care experts--it seems like the after effects of the NEH closure, and more broadly the privatized healthcare system in our city, are still being felt. In this audio interview done by Media Mobilizing Project's Labor Justice Radio, Megan Williamson interviews an anonymous nurse at Hahnemann hospital shortly after a vote nurses took last week on whether to join the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals (PASNAP).

The nurse, who stayed anonymous for fear of being fired, tells how Tenant Healthcare Corporation, which owns Hahnemann, threatened workers before the vote and used manipulative tactics to get the votes impounded by the National Labor Relations Board. He also discussed how Tenant understaffs the hospital floor, which is a danger to patients. Finally, he discussed the threats management made if nurses formed a union, including using the closure of Northeastern as a "warning." He explained:

They have been circulating things about the closure of Northeastern. I have to say that in talking to a few co-workers they took that kind of threat seriously. Even though it was not greedy union nurses that made Northeastern unprofitable for Temple, that was a whole different set of economic concerns. At the same time Hahnemann is a totally different kind of hospital it makes money for Tenant.

This interview makes it all the more clear, that while we need to fight for good national legislation on healthcare, it won't mean much if we don't have healthy, unionized, healthcare institutions across the city.

Listen to the rest of the story at MMP's community news portal.