After being postponed indefinitely due to the government shutdown, a union vote for nurses at four UnityPoint Health hospitals in central Iowa has been rescheduled, a spokesperson for the health system confirmed to Becker’s.
The National Labor Relations Board, which oversees the vote, has scheduled the election for Dec. 7-9. Nurses at the West Des Moines, Iowa-based health system were initially scheduled to vote Oct. 5-7. However, the vote was delayed due to the shutdown, which lasted 43 days from Oct. 1 to Nov. 12.
Approximately 2,000 nurses across Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines, Iowa Lutheran Hospital in Des Moines, Methodist West Hospital in West Des Moines and Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines are eligible to vote on whether to join Teamsters Local 90.
Nurses began their unionization effort in November 2024, citing their desire for competitive wages, safe staffing levels and affordable health insurance.
UnityPoint has said it respects nurses’ right to seek or reject outside representation and emphasized its focus on “working together to care for our patients, families, communities, and each other through our strong values and our collaborative culture.”
