The National Labor Relations Board for the third time has found merit to claims that Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins Hospital officials are interfering in nurses' unionization efforts, The Baltimore Sun reported.
The labor board said they found evidence to substantiate allegations that Johns Hopkins officials seemed to be closely observing organization activity, according to the report.
It's the most recent time the labor board has found evidence of Johns Hopkins officials trying to interfere with unionization efforts after a complaint filed in June by the National Nurses Organizing Committee.
The union previously alleged the hospital prohibited nurses from discussing union issues at work and visiting the hospital on their days off to talk to colleagues who were on their breaks about organizing.
The board may issue a formal complaint against Johns Hopkins if it doesn't settle the union's complaint.
"We urge the hospital to live up to its own reputation by supporting nurses in our right to become even better patient advocates by forming a union," Janet Orlin, a nurse who cares for cancer patients, told The Baltimore Sun.
Johns Hopkins nurses said they began organizing efforts because of "inadequate conditions and other standards, compared to other nationally recognized university hospitals," which they argue have resulted in high turnover.
Johns Hopkins spokesperson Kim Hoppe emphasized that hospital officials support nurses and their right to form a union but took issue with the union's claims.
She said the labor board's "preliminary decisions …were an expected part of the process, and simply allow the claims to move to the next step."
"Final resolution could still require review by an NLRB administrative law judge, the National Labor Relations Board and the federal courts. We believe the union's charges lack merit, and we stand by our workplace practices," said Ms. Hoppe.
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