The 1,400 nurses and caregivers at Prince George’s County Hospital Center, Laurel Regional Hospital and other health care facilities in Prince George’s County, MD have filed charges of unfair labor practices against Dimensions Healthcare System and will picket three of the system’s facilities on April 16.1199SEIU filed charges of not bargaining in good faith against Dimensions on April 2, with the National Labor Relations Board. The charges follow nearly a year of negotiations between the caregivers and Dimensions, which is threatening the very survival of the union at its facilities. Dimensions, which operates four health care facilities and is affiliated with others in the county, has proposed in the negotiations that it be given the option of cancelling the collective bargaining agreement with 1199SEIU in the event of a sale or merger. Dimensions is in talks about a developing relationship with the statewide University of Maryland Medical System. Dimension’s proposals would also enable the facilities to cancel shifts of staff at will and reassign nurses to clinical areas outside of their area of training, which will impact quality care and patient safety.“Prince George’s County residents deserve the highest quality healthcare but Dimensions is putting that care in jeopardy,” said John Reid, 1199SEIU executive vice president for Maryland and DC. “In order to attract more county residents, Dimensions needs to be able to recruit and retain the best possible nurses and caregivers and that starts with respecting the frontline nurses and caregivers who have already sacrificed so much at Dimensions facilities.”‘‘If it wasn’t for the union, Prince George’s Hospital would not even be open, said Trecetia Campbell, a lab technical assistant at Laurel Regional Hospital. “When the county was going to close this hospital, we went to Annapolis and to the county offices and kept this hospital open. Now management wants to decide that they don’t need us anymore but we insist on being treated fairly.’’When the county threatened to shut down Prince George’s Hospital Center in 2011, members of 1199SEIU lobbied elected officials both in the county and in Annapolis. As a result of this lobbying and rallying community support, closure was averted, jobs were saved and vital health care continued.1199SEIU caregivers have supported the survival of Dimensions by going with either no or very little increase in salary, while pushing for better conditions for patient care and safety. In a recent vote, 97 percent of the membership voted to reject the latest proposals from management and authorized the bargaining committee to take actions, up to and including a strike. In addition to the informational picket on April 16, 1199SEIU has launched a public information effort with the website- See more at: http://www.1199seiu.org/1_400_nurses_caregivers_file_unfair_labor_practices_charges_against_maryland_hospital_group#sthash.Id6QeAKq.dpuf- See more at: http://www.1199seiu.org/1_400_nurses_caregivers_file_unfair_labor_practices_charges_against_maryland_hospital_group#sthash.Id6QeAKq.dpuf