Queen of the Valley Medical Center in Napa, Calif., lost its second appeal over a union vote that took place last fall, according to a Napa Valley Register report.
The union vote involved more than 400 service and technical workers, who decided by a margin of approximately 3-to-2 to join the National Union of Healthcare Workers.
The hospital argued in its second appeal that election results may have been hampered by voting procedures, according to the report. The national NLRB office denied the appeal last week, finding the voting period to be reasonable, the report states.
"It's no surprise to us that the NLRB quickly shot down management's attempt to overturn an election in which 90 percent of eligible voters cast ballots," NUHW President Sal Rosselli said, according to the Napa Valley Register. He called the appeal "a blatant attempt at voter suppression."
Queen of the Valley Medical Center did not immediately return an email from Becker's Hospital Review seeking comment.
The hospital's first appeal was denied in December by the NLRB's San Francisco office, according to the report.
Larry Coomes, the hospital's interim CEO, previously said in a statement that the second appeal was filed "because we believe the local region's decision does not protect the rights of our employees," according to the Napa Valley Register. "We are seriously concerned about whether our employees' rights were honored and whether all voices were heard in the union election," he added.