NUHW Members File Charges Against Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital, Prepare to File Lawsuit on Layoffs

NewsDecember 20, 2010

Last Thursday, NUHW members at Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital filed Unfair Labor Practice charges with the Public Employment Relations Board against their employer for refusal to bargain over approximately 100 proposed layoffs. Union members are also preparing to file a lawsuit against the hospital for its failure to comply with both the federal and state Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Acts.

SVMH continues to refuse to negotiate in good faith with the union over the implementation of the proposed layoffs, a violation of the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act, Government Code Section 3505 and PERB Regulation 32603(c), which prohibits “refus(al) or fail(ure) to meet and confer in good faith with an exclusive representative” by the employer.

SVMH also failed to provide affected workers and the state of California with 60 days’ advance notice of the layoffs, a clear violation of both the state and federal WARN Acts.

The hospital has announced the date of December 30 for the layoffs to take effect, just five days after Christmas.

Read coverage in The Californian.