A nurse who alleges Pasadena, Calif.-based Huntington Hospital let her go in retaliation for her unionization efforts will provide input to federal officials this week at the White House's Summit on Worker Voice, according to a San Gabriel Valley Tribune report.
The summit, scheduled for Oct. 7, will focus on "how workers can make their voices heard in the workplace in ways that are good for workers and businesses," according to a White House news release. President Barack Obama first spoke of his intentions to hold the summit in March.
The former Huntington Hospital nurse, Allysha Almada, has a planned tour that includes meetings with national AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and a day along side President Obama.
"I'm definitely excited to bring the message of the Huntington nurses to the White House and the Capitol," Ms. Almada said at a send-off this week, according to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.
Huntington Hospital fired Ms. Almada and fellow nurse Vicki Lin in early August for allegedly violating hospital policies, but Ms. Almada said her suspension and subsequent termination came only a week after she spoke on a community panel, according to the report.
The hospital confirmed Ms. Almada and Ms. Lin's departure from the hospital, but declined to comment to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune about Ms. Almada's visit to the White House.
"As any responsible employers would do, we respectfully declined to comment on the specifics of a personnel issue, however we can say our guiding principles in decision making are based on ensuring patient safety — and providing the quality care we have consistently delivered as a trusted community resource," Jim Noble, executive vice president and COO, said in a statement, according to the report.
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