The California Nurses Association filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board against Alhambra (Calif.) Hospital Medical Center, claiming the hospital has infringed upon the rights of registered nurses to conduct a fair union election, according to a union announcement.
The union said RNs at Alhambra Hospital are slated to vote Jan. 5 on whether to join the California Nurses Association/National Nurses United.
According to CNA, nurses claim that prior to the scheduled election, hospital administrators have been "stepping up actions" against union supporters, "contributing to a pattern of actions that nurses say violate federal labor law protections."
"We are deeply concerned that the Alhambra management is violating our right to a fair election and putting patients in harms way," Monica Recendez, RN, said in the union announcement.
Alhambra Hospital is part of Alhambra-based AHMC Healthcare, where CNA already represents RNs at San Gabriel (Calif.) Valley Medical Center and Whittier (Calif.) Hospital Medical Center, according to the union.
The union said RNs at Alhambra Hospital seek "wage parity with other AHMC hospitals, an increased voice in patient care conditions, and a contract that requires the hospital to comply with the state's mandated nurse-to-patient ratio law to protect patient safety."
In response to the union's complaint, Alhambra Hospital provided the following statement:
"Patient safety and quality of care are our most important priorities at Alhambra Hospital. We are committed to working together with our physicians, nurses and staff to protect patient safety and to provide high-quality, compassionate care.
"We value all of our employees highly. While we prefer to work directly with them without the involvement of a third party, we recognize that it is entirely our employees' choice whether or not they want to be represented by a labor union. We believe we already have a strong culture of supporting and respecting our employees."
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