Nurses at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center in Lewiston, Idaho, voted April 11 to join the International Brotherhood of Teamsters union, according to a Lewiston Tribune report.
The vote was 157-44 in favor of organizing.
“They didn’t feel they had a voice,” Val Holstrom, secretary/treasurer and principal officer for Teamsters Local No. 690, told theTribune.
“They wanted to be sure they continued to provide the highest quality of care for their family, friends and neighbors,” he said.
Hospital spokesperson Christina Metcalf told the publication that hospital officials respect the nurses’ decision and are focused of improving the health of community members.
The vote comes after St. Joseph Regional Medical Center partnered in 2017 with Brentwood, Tenn.-based RCCH HealthCare Partners, which completed a merger with Brentwood-based LifePoint Health last year. Before that, St. Louis-based Ascension owned St. Joseph.
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