In The News: Another 100 Iowa Nurses Join CWA Local 7170

Nearly 100 patient care workers at Palo Alto County Hospital in Emmetsburg, Iowa, have voted to affiliate with CWA Local 7170, part of an ongoing organizing drive with the Operating Engineers.

The registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and certified nursing assistants, along with another 80 non-patient care workers at the hospital, joined an umbrella group formed by Local 7170 and the Operating Engineers to improve bargaining power for the region's health care workers.

"By working together to help employees organize their hospitals wall-to-wall, we will make it more difficult for management to pit one group of workers against another during negotiations," Local 7170 President Bonnie Winther said.

President Bill Zeigler of CWA Local 7172, a statewide telecom local, put the Palo Alto workers in contact with Local 7170 and helped throughout the campaign.

Last fall, Local 7170 organized a unit of 100 RNs, LPNs, and CNAs at a hospital in Spirit Lake, Iowa, where the technical, clerical, custodial and food service employees are represented by the Operating Engineers.