The National Labor Relations Board has filed a complaint against Valley Hospital in Spokane Valley, Wash., and Deaconess Hospital in Spokane, Wash., based on a charge filed by the Service Employees International Union 1199NW, according to an Inlander report.
Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems owns both hospitals. The NLRB compliant alleges CHS discouraged union membership and retaliated against workers who went on a one-day strike in December, and also that the hospitals did not bargain in good faith.
Union members went on strike Dec. 4. Staffing levels were the main contentious issue during the contract negotiation process.
The complaint gives hospital management until the first week of May to give a response and proposes a hearing for September, according to the report.
A spokeswoman told Inlander, "We are working to obtain details of the NLRB determination and its rationale. We will assess our options as we learn more."
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