CHICAGO — A hospital on the west side promotes itself as a “national model for urban health care delivery,” but is chronically understaffed.  Understaffing and speeding up workers helps the bosses save money, but they also undercut the medical care workers provide to patients.  Since most of the patient population is black and Latin in this part of Chicago, understaffing helps continue racist oppression.  But workers here are fighting back!
A letter was circulated that explained how understaffing and a lack of equipment are risks to patient safety, and it requested that additional staff in the Respiratory Care Dept. be hired.  Over sixty workers signed the letter, which was given to the chief operating officer and board of directors at their annual meeting.
The bosses were angry and embarrassed that workers dared to present grievances at their board meeting.  They were more concerned about being exposed and humiliated than about the rotten conditions faced by workers and their patients every day.  They subsequently decided to interview all the signatories to the letter and question each person as to how inadequate staffing levels could be solved.  Most workers responded by telling them to hire more workers.
It’s no secret that the hospital is understaffed and lacks adequate equipment, but they wanted to frighten workers who signed the letter.  Instead, they found out how passionately workers felt about patient care and the lack of staff.  As a result, a couple of positions were opened, but many workers are doubtful that conditions will improve much, because of how bad things have been for so long.  Yet workers have expressed approval for the bold action in confronting the bosses.
The workers’ response to this struggle shows how workers can be organized to fight back against abuses.  It is the job of the Progressive Labor Party to point out that the capitalist system is always abusive, and conditions will continue to worsen without a communist revolution.  More workers are taking the Party’s ideas more seriously.  The more workers that read and distribute CHALLENGE, the closer we’ll be to solving inadequate staffing and a lack of equipment.