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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0453.005 2000-2002 HAWAII COUNTY CUUNCii. Councilmember Nancy Pisicchio, Chair Committee on Hiunan Services and Economic I3evelopment Tuesday, January 8, 2002; 3:UU p.m. STA°I`L11diElmT'T OF KAItLEEImJ AItIFLL.~NO ~~:`l ~IEGA~iI)I~TG IBESOLUTIO~i NO. i6U-U2 = gy.~~,~ arty ~xanc4r e... - My Warne is Karleen Arellano, and I am a Certified Nurse's Aide at Hale Anuenue. I am the treasurer for the ILWU unit at Hale Anuenue that was formed when we voted to have the union represent uss When we organized into the union, I thought management would cooperate in negotiations, After all, the majority of the workers voted for the union so tnanagerrsent should accept our decssion. .13ut in the I 0 months we have been negotiating, it seems management cannot accept our decision and wants to reverse it my putting up one roadblock after another. We gat to t ne point where the workers took a strike vote and we were ready to go on strike. Then management brought in "replacement workers" from Uahu to take our place. As if that wasn't enough, they wanted to train them! 1vlany of the replacement workers were inexperienced and didn't kno`v what they were doing. I started working as a Certified Nurse's Aide at Hale Anuenue just a couple months after it opened almost six years ago. I had never done that type of work before, but when my former employer went out of baasiness, I was lucky enough to get training through a state program. They told me I had a choice of going into corrsputers or becoming a nurse's aide. I jumped at the chatlce to becocrae a CNA because I'd always wanted to go into the medical field and work with people. It hasn't been easy these past few years for me. The job of a CNA is stressful because of ttte physical work and the emotional strain, but worst of all znay be the favoritism and lack of fairness by mat~gegnent. The Employee 1-Iandbook chat Hale Anuenue gave us when we were hired said employees are their "most valua'ole resource." Sometimes it sure doesn't seem that way. Because we do the hard work, rraan~gerrnent sometimes looks down on u5 and doesn't treat us with dagnity and respect, oven if the I~andbook says we are to be treated "fairly and with respect." The Handbook ralso says associates are "free to express their ideas ar?d concerns," but if we do, we pare reprimaraded_ IJespite the drawbacks, I like working at Hale Anuenue and with the residents there. But I thank we need a union contract to Sive us a sense of security on flee job. I hope your Resolution No. 160-02 will bring us closer to an agreement. Thank you for your help. ern 1'~~ Idle Nn.~ ~f. Tot ~~f. T3:~¢e _ . .