Nurses at University of Wisconsin Health in Madison have voted to strike in September if their union is not recognized.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced hospital and health system human resources leaders to rethink their approach to staffing shortages and other workforce challenges. This means not only starting something new, but also re-evaluating whether to stop an approach that has been in place but could be tweaked.

Advancing technology calls for updates to workplace violence prevention plans, Daniel Pascale, executive vice president at Margolis Healy and Associates — a professional services firm specializing in security and emergency preparedness — told HR Dive in an Aug. 18 article. 

The following events involving hospital-union labor disputes were recently covered by Becker's:

Nurses at Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital in Lincoln City, Ore., filed authorization cards with the National Labor Relations Board for a union recognition election, according to an Aug. 23 news release from the Oregon Nurses Association.

Members of the Communication Workers of America and 199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East employed by Buffalo, N.Y.-based Kaleida Health will vote next month on whether to give their bargaining units the authority to call a strike. 

Members of the National Nurses Organizing Committee plan to hold a rally Aug. 25 at Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare's Mission Hospital in Asheville, N.C., to protest what they say is the hospital's failure to address chronic short staffing that jeopardizes patient safety.

Solid training, not high salaries, will retain top talent through resignations and a potential recession, according to an Aug. 22 Forbes article by Andrew McLeod, CEO of Certn, an IT company providing background checks and risk monitoring for employers. 

Members of the Staff Nurses Association, National Union Health Care Workers and Petaluma Staff Nurses Partnership said they plan to hold an informational picket Aug. 24 at Providence Santa Rosa (Calif.) Memorial Hospital regarding issues they have experienced with paychecks.

Members of the National Union of Healthcare Workers are set to begin the ninth day of their open-ended strike Aug. 23 at Kaiser Permanente's mental healthcare facilities in California.

Inflation and a possible recession are spurring some employers to cut back on paid parental leave, the Wall Street Journal reported Aug. 22.

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has asked Hudson, N.Y.-based Columbia Memorial Health to work with a union representing its workers to adequately address wages and staffing, according to a report published Aug. 19 on hudsonvalley360.com. 

Members of the Michigan Nurses Association will vote from Aug. 27 through Sept. 2 on whether to authorize nurse negotiation leaders to call a strike at the University of Michigan.

Nurses at Portland-based Maine Medical Center have voted to keep the Maine State Nurses Association as their bargaining representative.  

Healthcare providers from four clinics operated by PeaceHealth in the Eugene, Ore., area have voted in favor of unionization.

Members of the National Union of Healthcare Workers are set to begin an open-ended strike Aug. 29 at Kaiser Permanente's mental healthcare facilities in Hawaii.

The New York State Nurses Association said about 30,000 of its members are launching a public campaign at healthcare facilities ahead of contract expiration dates. 

Members of the Minnesota Nurses Association voted Aug. 16 to authorize nurse negotiation leaders to call a strike at Essentia Health-Moose Lake (Minn.).

Culinary Union workers picketed Valley Hospital in Las Vegas Aug. 17 after the firing of a committee leader and 40-year union member, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.

Boston Children's Hospital said it has been the target of a harassment campaign based on misinformation about its treatment of the young transgender community.