Nurse practitioners employed by Northern Light Acadia Hospital in Bangor, Maine, will vote on whether to join the American Federation of Teachers, an affiliate of the AFL-CIO.
On April 12, the National Labor Relations Board directed that a unionization election be conducted. A date has not been set, according to the NLRB.
The union seeks to represent about eight family nurse practitioners and 31 psychiatric nurse practitioners.
"Together, we will empower one another to fulfill the extent of our licenses within each of our disciplines' scope of practice," union supporters said, according to the Bangor Daily News.
They added that they "aim to take an active and affirmative role in developing policies and procedures that affect our patients, community, and all Acadia Hospital employees. We are determined to be treated with dignity and respect in an atmosphere that is based on fairness, collaboration, equality and transparency."
In a statement shared with Becker's, the hospital said it has been notified about the unionization effort and was reviewing related materials received as of April 12.
"Our preference at Northern Light Acadia Hospital is and has always been for staff to represent itself directly in identifying and solving problems rather than through a paid third party," the statement read. "The hospital will follow the appropriate process for an election."
Northern Light Acadia Hospital is part of Brewer, Maine-based Northern Light Health.