Workers leading the union drive said they hoped Local 966 could help them negotiate better benefits.

Management representatives will not comment on the union drive, but the situation is not lost on them.

He spoke about the union drive when asked.

For Mr. Patterson, the union drive is also a chance to get his life back on course.

"The hospitals are more vulnerable to a union organizing drive than ever before," he added.

And even some who oppose the union drive acknowledge that both sides bear responsibility for the current climate.

Mr. Nelson said the union drive is "only partly" about salaries and job conditions.

For the dozen affected workers, most of whom were fired after the union drive began, yesterday's agreement came as a huge relief.

But the new union drive has as much to do with economic self-interest as social justice.

He was paid a $5 million fee by the unions for leaving Chrysler and leading the union drive.