The National Labor Relations Board has overruled the objections of St. Louis-based SSM Health seeking to overturn a union election in which registered nurses at St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison, Wis., voted June 11 to join SEIU Wisconsin, according to a union news release shared with Becker’s.
The NLRB’s decision came July 22, more than a month after the health system filed its objections on June 18.
According to the filing, SSM Health contended the NLRB should have determined whether charge nurses were supervisors before the election, arguing they should not have been allowed to campaign, vote or be present in the voting area while their status remained unresolved. The filing also alleged improper electioneering by union supporters.
The vote was 511-63 in favor of unionization, according to the NLRB. The election covered 853 eligible registered nurses, with 83 challenged ballots. The NLRB determined those challenged ballots were not enough to affect the outcome.
SEIU Wisconsin urged SSM Health to drop any further objections or requests for review and begin negotiations. “The Labor Board has spoken, our community has spoken, elected leaders have spoken, St. Mary’s nurses have spoken, and we have resoundingly declared that it’s time for SSM to respect our union vote so we can start working on solutions for our patients,” Zach Zahalka, RN, said in the release.
In a statement shared with Becker’s, SSM Health said it “respects the federal labor law process. We have received the National Labor Relations Board staff decision and are reviewing it.”
SSM Health is a Catholic nonprofit health system with more than 40,000 employees and more than 15,000 providers across Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma and Wisconsin.
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