About 800 nursing assistants and other workers at Danbury (Conn.) Hospital and New Milford (Conn.) Hospital voted Friday not to unionize, according to The News-Times.
Here are five things to know about the vote and the effort to unionize.
1. Workers at Danbury and New Milford hospitals, which are member facilities of the Western Connecticut Health Network, had cited inadequate staffing and less than ideal treatment from management as top concerns in the effort to join a union, according to the report.
2. The effort to unionize was led by AFT Connecticut, which represents about 725 nurses and 250 technicians at the two hospitals. The union wanted to negotiate for higher pay.
3. Vote tallies were not disclosed, but Mr. O'Connor said the vote was decided by a narrow margin, according to the report.
4. Daniel DeBarba, president of Danbury and New Milford hospitals, said in an emailed statement that he was pleased with the vote. "We are committed to continuing to build an environment of respect and open communication with employees, and this process has provided an opportunity to have a robust dialogue with our staff," Mr. DeBarba said. "We look forward to implementing some new initiatives and best practices that will better serve our employees and patients."
5. Matt O'Connor, spokesman for AFT Connecticut, which has accused hospital managers of interfering in the unionizing process, said the vote is "an indication that the efforts by the network to block the workers form a free and fair choice in this election had an impact," according to the report.