Noteworthy News

Adequate staffing clearly linked to quality
A study by the General Accounting Office (GAO) found that the level of staffing at nursing homes is directly linked to quality of care. An increase in nursing hours was related to a decrease in quality problems. Many nursing homes try to save money through understaffing, but clearly this practice is dangerous to residents.

Intentional discrimination remains a problem
A recent study of government employment data from 1975 to 1999 by Rutgers University Law Professors and EEO specialists found that one third of mid-to-large sized private employers in metropolitan areas intentionally discriminate in hiring. The greatest discrimination occurred in hospitals, eating and drinking establishments, department stores, grocery stores, nursing and personal care facilities, computer and data processing services, and hotels/motels. Together, medical, drug and health related industries accounted for 20 percent of the intentional discrimination. The authors of the study called on the federal government to require employers to take action and correct this problem.

Health insurance takes a toll on workers
Families USA has estimated that over 2 million Americans lost their health insurance last year due to layoffs. Employed workers are also grappling with rising health care costs. As the cost of employer sponsored health insurance rises, companies are shifting the cost to workers, leaving them with less money in their take-home pay. A study by the Kaiser Family Foundation revealed that in 2002, employees had to pay $174 per month for family coverage, an increase of $24 since last year.

Majority of American Workers Support Unions
A majority of American workers would vote for a union in their workplace according to survey results released by the AFL-CIO. The survey, conducted by Peter D. Hart Research Associates, for the AFL-CIO found that a large majority of people of color (74 percent), manufacturing workers (62 percent) and young workers (58 percent of workers under age 35), would vote to join a union. Overall, fifty percent of workers said they would vote to join a union and only forty-three percent said they would vote against a union.