St. Luke's Hospital in New Bedford, Mass., confirmed that it has filed objections with the National Labor Relations Board alleging voter fraud in a Nov. 29 unionization election.
Registered nurses voted to join the Massachusetts Nurses Association.
The hospital filed the objections "because at least one vote was cast fraudulently by someone posing as an eligible voter," and the union "distributed election propaganda which misrepresented [and disclosed] how nurses intended to vote," said Patricia Giramma, spokesperson for the hospital's owner, New Bedford-based Southcoast Health.
She told Becker's the hospital believes the actions violated federal law and "tainted the election process."
Union supporter and medical-surgical nurse Joshua True argues the alleged fraud involved an individual mistakenly checking the incorrect name off the voter list, according to The Standard-Times.
"I know the person that happened to," he told the publication, adding that the vote in question is a "yes" vote that would not have changed the election outcome.
Regarding the hospital's charge of improper election propaganda, another union supporter, St. Luke's nurse Debra Falk, told The Standard-Times that nurses felt it was important to show a united front in their viewpoint. She called the hospital's objections "a stall tactic."
Ms. Giramma said St. Luke's remains "committed to ensuring that last week's election was conducted fairly and is an accurate reflection of the intention of the majority of our St. Luke's nurses."
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