After Seven Years of Struggle, Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital Workers are Certified as NUHW Members
Hospital Signifies Its Intention to Bargain
Santa Rosa, California – After seven long years of organizing, yesterday Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital (SRMH) informed the National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW) in writing of its “intention to move forward and commence negotiations for an initial collective bargaining agreement with NUHW.”
The hospital’s letter follows a decision by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to certify a December 2009 election in which workers voted for NUHW over “No Union” by 283 to 263, with 13 votes for the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). The election was the largest successful hospital organizing drive in the country for 2009.
After the vote count a year ago, the employer filed election objections with the NLRB in the hopes of overturning the election. In May, an administrative law judge rejected those charges and certified NUHW as the workers’ exclusive collective bargaining agent.
Seven months after announcing his decision, the NLRB has complied with the judge’s order and certified the election for housekeepers, dietary workers, clerical employees, Certified Nursing Assistants, Respiratory Therapists, Radiology Technologists and other caregivers.
“For years, management tried everything they could to stop us from having a voice, including working with SEIU to silence us. But we persisted, and we prevailed,” said Melissa Bosanco, a Care Partner at SRMH. “Now it’s time to get to the bargaining table and win a contract that improves the lives of workers and that makes our hospital the best place in the region for patients to receive care.”
See the hospital’s letter: http://bit.ly/eErk0L
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