The National Labor Relations Board has filed a complaint against Pittsburgh-based UPMC alleging anti-union activity, according to a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette report.
The health system is facing allegations of unlawfully trying to discourage union organization, allegedly including restricting when and where employees may discuss the unionization effort and interrogating employees, according to the report.
The labor relations board has filed a number of complaints against UPMC since 2013 as the Service Employees International Union tries to unionize hourly workers at UPMC Presbyterian and Shadyside hospitals.
In a statement used in the report, UPMC said SEIU "has yet again resorted to manufactured unfair labor practices charges in an attempt to discredit UPMC during its unsuccessful attempt to organize hospital employees."
"For the SEIU, this is no longer about representing its members but rather about advancing its political goals by creating a media spectacle of protests and unfair labor practice charges that will resurface as long as UPMC hospital employees resist the SEIU organizing activity," UPMC added.
In November 2014, a labor relations board administrative law judge found that UPMC violated federal labor law when four employees involved in unionizing activities were fired, and ordered the health system to put employees back on payroll within two weeks.
As for the new alleged violations, they are from a time period "after the second round of complaints were issued but before the hospital was found in violation of workers' rights," according to the report.
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