Judge Gerald Etchingham ordered Centinela Hospital to provide SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West with certain information about its facilities so the union could bargain in good faith for a new health plan, according to the report.
The judge also ordered the hospital to revoke what he called a “unilateral change” it made to its health plan’s coverage options, and the hospital was ordered to reimburse employees who paid more for health insurance under that change.
The case began after a collective bargaining agreement between Centinela and the union expired. The two parties engaged in negotiations between late 2009 and early 2011.
The union asked Centinela for data on quality metrics at its hospitals, including the incidence rate of certain blood infection. Centinela attorneys rejected those requests for information due to their supposed irrelevancy and to maintain privacy, according to the report.
After a series of changes to the proposed healthcare coverage, Centinela informed its employees that their coverage would change and offered what it called a “final offer” to union negotiators.
Though the union and Centinela continued to communicate after the offer was made, Centinela said the parties had reached an impasse. The SEIU disagreed, according to the report, and filed a series of unfair labor charges related to the stalled negotiations between 2010 and 2012 with the NLRB.
Centinela Hospital is operated by Ontario, Calif.-based Prime Healthcare Services, which has previously conflicted with the SEIU.
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