The following is a roundup of recent events pertaining to hospital-union relationships, including strikes, legal battles, rallies and new contract agreements. All events were reported since Feb. 6.
1. Workers' vote to unionize stands after Queen of the Valley Medical Center loses second appeal
Queen of the Valley Medical Center in Napa, Calif., lost its second appeal over a union vote that took place last fall. The union vote involved more than 400 service and technical workers who decided by a margin of approximately 3-to-2 to join the National Union of Healthcare Workers.
2. Union nurses accuse Baystate Health of illegal bargaining practices
Registered nurses at Baystate Franklin Medical Center in Greenfield, Mass., filed six federal unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board, accusing the hospital's owner, Springfield, Mass.-based Baystate Health, of engaging in illegal bargaining practices.
3. Nurse strike begins at Delaware County Memorial Hospital
Nurses and technicians at Drexel Hill, Pa.-based Delaware County Memorial Hospital began a planned two-day strike Sunday amid contract negotiations.
4. California Nurses Association adds 550 members from Kaiser Permanente
The California Nurses Association added about 550 registered nurses from 21 Kaiser Permanente hospitals across northern and central California.
5. Kenmore Mercy labor deal receives green light
A union representing registered nurses at Kenmore Mercy Hospital in Buffalo, N.Y., ratified a new three-year contract agreement with management. The nurses are represented by Communications Workers of America Local 1133.
6. Nurses at Kaiser Permanente's Los Angeles Medical Center approve labor deal
Registered nurses at Kaiser Permanente's Los Angeles Medical Center approved a collective bargaining agreement with hospital management. The contract covers some 1,300 RNs and includes major economic improvements, protection of health coverage and their pensions, along with patient care contract protections, said the California Nurses Association/National Nurses United, which represents the workers.
7. Morton Hospital reaches 3-year labor deal with workers, averts strike
Healthcare workers and administrators at Steward Health Care System's Morton Hospital in Taunton, Mass., reached a three-year contract. The contract, which averts a potential one-day nurse strike, covers 350 union employees.
8. Hundreds of Providence Saint John's Health Center workers vote in favor of unionization
Healthcare workers at Providence Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, Calif., voted to join SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West. The vote applies to a wide array of job classifications at the hospital, including nursing assistants, licensed vocational nurses, respiratory therapists and pharmacy technicians.
9. Catskill Regional Medical Center employees protest over alleged understaffing
Healthcare workers at Catskill Regional Medical Center in Harris, N.Y., protested over staffing. The workers, including technicians and assistants, are represented by 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East.
10. Nurses at Essentia Health-Northern Pines authorize strike
Nurses at Essentia Health-Northern Pines in Aurora, Minn., authorized a strike. The strike authorization came after AFSCME Local 2780 voted to reject a proposal calling for removal of a successorship clause.
11. New contract for Cooley nurses features anti-discrimination protections
Nurses at Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton, Mass., ratified a new union contract with workplace violence protections and gender identity anti-discrimination language.
12. UPMC Altoona nurses ratify labor deal with overwhelming majority
Registered nurses at UPMC Altoona (Pa.) ratified a new three-year contract with the hospital. The nurses are represented by SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania.