The United Nurses Association of California/Union of Health Care Professionals, which was recently dropped at Corona (Calif.) Regional Medical Center, has filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board against the hospital, according to a report from The Press-Enterprise.
Here are six things to know about the complaint.
1. The complaint was filed Feb. 22.
2. The union contends the hospital used threats, surveillance and backroom dealings to stand in the way of contract bargaining, according to the report.
3. The hospital did not comment to The Press-Enterprise in detail about the union's allegations, except to say, "Our stance is there is no union here anymore."
4. Following an investigation, the NLRB's regional director will decide whether to dismiss the case or issue the hospital a notice to appear before a judge, according to the report, which cites information from the labor board. A judge could order bargaining to continue, the report notes.
5. The complaint comes more than three years after hospital nurses voted in favor of unionization. The hospital's parent company, King of Prussia, Pa.-based Universal Health Services, contested the vote's legitimacy, and almost two years later, a group of five nurses elected by their colleagues began negotiations with Corona Regional, according to the report.
6. The complaint also comes after employees in February presented hospital administration with signed cards from most of the 331 nurses, indicating they wanted to leave the union, The Press-Enterprise reported. According to the report, Tammie Rattray, a labor attorney representing UHS, then wrote Feb. 4 that the cards were verified and the hospital would withdraw recognition of the union, effective immediately. Penny Brown, a union-employed nurse who advocated for Corona Regional workers during negotiations, told The Press-Enterprise she hasn't seen the cards or "any objective evidence" that nurses want to leave the union.
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