This coverage sponsored by the SEIU.

One hurdle crossed does not make a race won. This is a long distance struggle between nurses and for profit hospitals and the people who don't want unions like SEIU to get in the way. It's part of our national healthcare debate, which will only grow more acrimonious if everyone doesn't look at the realities. Think Progress and American Progress offer more, as does Julia. If you've seen more stories, please add them in the comments.  

David Bussone, pictured above, is the man behind the lock-out of the SEIU nurses in Las Vegas. Below is an interview he gave in February 2006, which telegraphs the strife to come this past week.  Bussone no longer flies underneath our radar.

Let's talk about the nursing shortage. What is the Valley Health System doing to recruit and retain nurses?

There are a number of things we're doing. We are trying to recruit nurses from other parts of the country. There are places in the United States where nurses are being laid off. Wisconsin for example - states that are losing population. The second thing that we're doing is we're certainly supporting efforts to home grow our own nurses. We offer nursing scholarships virtually on an unlimited basis to nurses in the local nursing programs. We've applied for a grant with UNLV and their School of Nursing to develop an internship program for nurses in order to stabilize that group of new graduates when they first go to work for a hospital. Going from the educational environment to the real world work environment can be very difficult, particularly when you're taking care of sick people. In some hospitals, we're also looking internationally in terms of nursing staff.

I don't know about you, but "home grow our nurses" sounds a bit dogmatic to me. Like a nurse farm system that makes nurses beholden to the people educating them on the profession that is actually a calling and something they will follow the rest of their lives. The loyalty factor for nurses coming up through a UHS nurse farm system would likely be obligatory. Then there's the obvious question. If a nurse coming up in Bussone's system decides she/he wants to leave what will be the financial ramifications? Will the nurse have to sign a contract prior to being educated in Bussone's nurse farm system that if she/he leaves all money will be due in "x" amount of time? Frankly, this seems inherently manipulative. It also smacks of anti-union bias, but maybe I'm being too harsh.  It's not like I don't have a bias.

The Service Employees International Union Local 1107 now represents the majority of the nurses in the Las Vegas Valley although Summerlin's and Spring Valley's nurses are not among them. Is the relationship with the union improving and how does union representation affect nurse retention at Desert Springs and Valley hospitals?

I haven't been here that long to be able to tell you how the relationship with the union has been in the past. Based on what I've seen, I would have to say it's status quo. I don't know that I can answer the question about retention.

"Status quo" is a very odd answer. You'd think someone in the position of director of something as large as Valley Health Systems would at least make the effort to put forth some pr that shows flexibility in dealing with SEIU, at least in public and on the record. Perhaps say, "I'm looking forward to working with SEIU and the nurses to the patients' benefit, which is everyone's goal." But nooooo.

Consider this next little item as foreshadowing of the larger story still playing out between SEIU and David Bussone of UHS.

SEIU nurses in both Desert Spring and Valley Hospitals, both of which are run by Universal Health Services, will tell you this isn't about unions.

It's not even about money.

What it is about these nurses providing the best patient care possible.

There's just one catch. Universal Health Services, which is run by David Bussone, has decided to make it about the union. UHS and Bussone have decided that they, not the nurses, know what's best for patients. So, not only are they pressuring nurses to care for too many patients, but they've brought in the big guns to make sure the nurses know they mean business.

Enter Brent Yessin and Brent Yessin & Associates. He's also a former Vice President of the Burke Group, an anti-union firm. People at these anti-union firms are sometimes called "persuaders." Quaint, isn't it. In California, these "persuaders" have been used repeatedly to undermine the California Nurses Association. In California, nurses are made to attend mandatory meetings where they are lectured by these "persuaders," whose fees range from $118 - $210 per hour, with expenses going into the millions for these anti-union campaigns. Mr. Yessin has earned quite a reputation. He's a master of anti-union campaigns.

It had been brewing for years. Notorious union-busting consultant Brent Yessin was hired by VHS in January 2006, when the two hospitals' contracts with nurses gave up, but the union says agreements were made in the summer of 2005 to bring him in. In September of that year, 39 nurses at Desert Springs made news when they were suspended from work for wearing SEIU pins on their uniforms. In 2003, Desert Springs tried without success to rid themselves of the union, and in 1999, when SEIU was defying the medical field's historical resistance to unions, they and Valley led an unsuccessful charge to keep unions out of hospitals.

Caring for the Caretakers
Nurses and hospitals continue the war over union demands

I've learned a lot about David Bussone's Universal Health Services in a very short period of time. Brent Yessin comes part of the package. They're fighting very hard and mean, but the really tragic thing is that Bussone's UHS is the only group willing to take down nurses and their patients in the process.

- by Taylor Marsh

After the stories about a truck of ballots disappearing for hours after the primary, I got busy emailing and calling.  I eventually ended up at Donna Edwards for Congress talking to Dan Weber, the Communications Director for her.  I asked if she wanted to come on my new radio show and talk about the election. They accepted, so we were on for Friday a.m., scheduling a special show for Donna, who deserved it.

This diary comes out of a guest post I did for firedoglake, then cross-posted on my own blog.  I was compelled today because of what Robert J. Samuelson belched out in print, which is yet another attack to "crazy" Al Gore.  My own environmental tragedy recently was another. But when I was shopping at Whole Foods on July 4th and learned of their renewable energy campaign, the timing with Samuelson's nonsense seemed perfect.

Recently, Al Gore spoke to a bunch of progressive bloggers like myself in a conference call.  Part of the tale will make you mad, because when one Republican helped out Al Gore he was threatened.

It began last week and kept on rolling when I was directed to yet another vile spewing Republican anti-veteran blog.

Then reader Vanmojo wrote this little beauty in the comment section Saturday afternoon.

We did a little more digging. Murthalied.com's apparent connection to Kerrylied.com is through the registrant. Amanda Doss is connected to both. The parent of Kerrylied.com is "Vietnam Vets for Truth" started by an old Southern California GOP operative named Tony Snesko, who, now, along with his brother,run a private investigation, process service, skip tracing operation out of D.C.

His name also comes up as an organizational contact for Rep. Duncan Hunter. There is also a Valerie Snesko who is apparently a staffer for Hunter...

Clarification:

Tony Snesko was listed on the NRCC's website as the RSVP contact for three or four 2004 fundraisers for Hunter.

Vanmojo

Valerie Snesko is indeed a staffer for Rep. Duncan Hunter who is Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. She is his office manager and personal appointment secretary.

When men are weak they use their wives.

It was a trip to the political Twilight Zone with First Lady Laura Bush. She's a feminist, she declared on "This Week." She's busy rebuilding New Orleans (obviously because her husband doesn't know how). Her husband is making hard decisions. It's difficult. It's challenging. Repeating that the president has to make the tough decisions, again and again. Her message: the president has an agenda. She's campaigning around the country for Republicans because George needs a Republican Congress to get it finished. Never mind that her husband actually needs a Republican Congress so he doesn't end up finished; answering questions about his disastrous decisions and the methods used to get us in this unmitigated mess. Oh, and about Bush's illegal spying program, Mrs. Bush said that her husband is "fiercely" protecting our privacy. "These are links to al Qaeda that they follow," she continued, which is all done "within the law." I couldn't help but hear the old do-do-do-do Rod Serling theme song throughout her yarn telling performances, which were a propaganda tour de force.