The Washington Times
  • Subscribe
  • Times News Services
  • RSS
  • Mobile Headlines
  • e-edition
  • E-MAIL ALERTS
  • REGISTER
  • LOG IN
  • E-MAIL ALERTS
  • WELCOME
  • Your Profile
  • Log Out
  • Front Page Image
  • Classifieds
  • Autos
  • Real Estate
  • Jobs
  • Special Sections
  • Customer Service
  • Home
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Sports
    • NFL
    • NBA/WNBA
    • MLB
    • NHL
    • Tennis
    • Golf
    • Motorsports
    • Soccer
    • NCAA
    • Olympics
    • Outdoors
    • Other
  • Culture
    • Home & Living
    • Family & Kids
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Travel
    • Health
    • Washington Visitors
    • Books
    • Military History
    • Life
    • Auto
    • TV Listings
    • Movie Listings
    • Death Notices
    • Entertainment
  • Themes
  • Communities
  • Shopping
    • Stores
    • Coupons
    • Daily Double
    • Promotion
    • How It Works
  • Videos
    • Two Guys
    • Birnbaum on Washington
    • Liz Glover
    • Amanda Carpenter
    • Morning Briefing
    • Documentaries
    • Joe Giganti
    • Video Game Minute
  • Podcasts
    • About Headlines
    • Audio and Radio
    • America's Morning News
  • Sports

    KNOTT: Pollin honored as a D.C. treasure

  • Sports

    Jamison lights fire under Wizards

  • Politics

    Uninvited White House guests met Obama in line

  • Sports

    Wife aids Woods after SUV crash

  • National

    Volunteers for drug trials hard to find

  • Business

    Dubai debt crisis rocks U.S., Asia markets

  • World

    Piracy threatens fishermen in Yemen

Home » News » Local

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

D.C. Council members visit picket line

Rate this story

Average 0.00
after 0 votes
Login or register to rate this story

  • Font Size -+
  • Print
  • Email
  • Comment
  • Tweet this!
  • Share
  • Article
  • Comments ()
  • Click-2-Listen
  • Videos

More Local Stories

  • Md. farm reaps rich harvest with its green-roof business
  • Metro briefs
  • In tobacco-loving Virginia, bars give up the habit
  • Private funeral Friday for Pollin

By

Two D.C. Council members visited a picket line yesterday to help resolve a dispute between a union for health care workers and the Ingleside at Rock Creek nursing home in Northwest.

Council member Kwame R. Brown, at-large Democrat, said every D.C. resident deserves decent health care and a living wage. However, he did not say how much the workers should be paid.

The minimum wage in the District is $7 an hour, compared with the federal hourly wage of $5.15. Some Ingleside workers said they earned at least $13 an hour, but some had not received raises in years.

Mr. Brown's office sent Ingleside managers a letter three weeks ago, urging them to reach an agreement with the union. The letter was signed by all of the council members.

The Service Employees International Union bused in demonstrators from Baltimore, New York and even California to join the few-dozen Ingleside workers.

Council member Muriel Bowser, Ward 4 Democrat, whose district includes Ingleside, said she is working to "encourage dialogue" between employers and unions in the District.

"I'm standing with you to make sure that we have respect in all of our workplaces in Ward 4," said Miss Bowser, who added that she is the daughter of a nurse. "We want to make sure that working families have a place in D.C."

Ingleside spokesman Richard Flanagan said the major sticking point has been the union's demand that nonunion employees pay representation dues.

He also said Ingleside's offer for annual raises is at least 20 percent of a worker's salary, based on merit.

"Believe me, the relationship is not as hostile as [the protesters] made it sound," he said.

"We respect their rights to do what they're doing."

About 30 percent of Ingleside employees have signed a petition against the union, Mr. Flanagan said.

A majority of Ingleside employees voted in January 2006 to join the 1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, which represents 275,000 workers and retirees in the District, Maryland, Massachusetts and New York.

Sonya Holmes, 48, said a union can protect workers, whose rights she has seen violated during her 20 years with Ingleside. In 2004, she said, she sued the nursing home after a health insurance dispute.

The managers "are treating some of the employees very unfair, you know, like harassment and telling someone that if they join the union they will be fired," Miss Holmes said. "We don't need that."

The National Labor Relations Board has received five complaints from the union about Ingleside.

The board found Ingleside managers guilty of taking a photograph of employees who were distributing union fliers and sending a "coercive statement" to an employee based on her union membership, said Wayne Gold, the board's regional director.

Post a comment

There are comments on this article, submit your opinion!

Please login or register to post a comment

Ask a Question

You Report

Do you have another point of view, photos, audio, video or more information about a story?

Top Stories

Most Read

  1. EDITORIAL: Hiding evidence of global cooling
  2. EDITORIAL: The global-cooling cover-up
  3. Climate 'czar' says hacked e-mails don't change anything
  4. Wife aids Woods after SUV crash
  5. PRUDEN: Trouble afoot for high priests
More Top Stories »
  1. In tobacco-loving Virginia, bars give up the habit
  2. Grade-schooler unearths fossil at dinosaur park
  3. Robotic hamster holiday craze
  4. Climate czar rejects doctored data claims
  5. HOLMES: Behind Obama's overseas allure

Most Shared

  1. EDITORIAL: The global-cooling cover-up
  2. PRUDEN: Trouble afoot for high priests
  3. EDITORIAL: Hiding evidence of global cooling
  4. In tobacco-loving Virginia, bars give up the habit
  5. Climate 'czar' says hacked e-mails don't change anything
More Top Stories »
  1. University bubble bursting?
  2. Finance mavens gloomy
  3. Robotic hamster holiday craze
  4. The United Socialist States of America
  5. Drug lords finding safe haven in Bolivia

Most Commented

  1. EDITORIAL: The global-cooling cover-up
  2. Climate 'czar' says hacked e-mails don't change anything
  3. PRUDEN: Trouble afoot for high priests
  4. Climate czar rejects doctored data claims
  5. Crashers probe may become criminal investigation
More Top Stories »
  1. EDITORIAL: Hiding evidence of global cooling
  2. EDITORIAL: The duty of a nation to obey God
  3. Fenty's approval in D.C. divided by race
  4. Ads add heat to health care debate
  5. HOLMES: Behind Obama's overseas allure

Listen to Washington Times Radio

  • America's Morning News

    with John McCaslin and Melanie Morgan

Question of the day

Did you travel out of town to see relatives this Thanksgiving?

Blogs & Columns

  • Hot Button Blog

    RNC: Breast cancer recommendations may lead to 'rationing'

  • Belief Blog

    Evangelicals OK civil disobedience

  • Out of Context

    Foods that might kill libido

  • On the Fly

    United lifts some 'award' blocking

  • Technology

    Facebook wins round against phishing spammer

  • Redskins 360

    Hall out, Rogers will start

  • SNOBlog

    Beyond 'Woody'

Videos

Advertising Links
TWT Store
  • e-edition
  • Print Edition
  • Weekly Washington Times
TWT Affiliates
  • Middle East Times
  • Golf
  • UPI
  • Arbor Ballroom
  • Washington Times Global
  • About TWT
  • Press Room
  • F.A.Q.
  • Work for TWT
  • Advertise
  • Sponsors
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Site Map

All site contents © Copyright 2009 The Washington Times, LLC.