Labor Board Rules Against Hospital: Votes Will Be Counted

About 200 nurses at Benedictine Hospital voted on September 18 to decide whether to be represented by the New York State Nurses Association. The hospital responded by challenging the election and having the votes frozen by filing a request to the National Labor Relations Board for a last minute review of the voters.

This is a typical ploy when management wants to prolong or interfere with the employees attempt to organize.

The NLRB ruled against the hospitals request and now the votes will be opened and counted. The hospital hired a team of high-priced NEW YORK CITY ATTORNEYS FOR HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS AN HOUR, to intimidate the nurses during the month prior to the vote. Captive meetings, anti-union postings, threats and intimidation are unfortunately the norm during the critical time period between the day the election day is set and the day of the actual election. As was recently seen in its purist form this past month at the Newburgh Perfume Factory.

The Nurses wanted to organize and band together to bargain as a group to improve their working conditions, wages and staffing rules. Attempting to do that seperately produced NO RESULTS, the hospital would hear none of it and made NO ATTEMPT to address any of the above issues.

The votes can now be counted - even though it is over one month late.

With the Employee Free Choice Act, these nurses would have already been bargaining for one month with the hospital - not stuck in limbo for that month with an employer playing games with their lives.