The National Labor Relations Board has dismissed a petition seeking a vote to decertify the union at UPMC Washington (Pa.), citing an existing labor contract, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported April 6.
NLRB Acting Regional Director Tara Yoest ruled April 2 that an existing labor contract ratified in February 2025 bars the petition, which sought to remove SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania as the bargaining representative for about 290 service and maintenance employees.
The decision follows UPMC’s 2024 acquisition of Washington (Pa.) Health System, which includes UPMC Washington Hospital and Waynesburg, Pa.-based UPMC Greene.
The hospital and union held about 15 bargaining sessions between Nov. 20, 2024, and Feb. 6, 2025, before reaching a tentative agreement. Employees ratified the contract Feb. 10, 2025, according to the NLRB.
During hearings, the union argued the petition should be dismissed because the parties had entered into a valid collective bargaining agreement before the petition was filed Oct. 1, Ms. Yoest said. She added the hospital “did not take a position on whether a contract bar exists” but stipulated the agreement is effective through Jan. 31, 2028.
Federal labor law generally prevents decertification petitions during the term of a valid collective bargaining agreement under the NLRB’s “contract bar” doctrine.
In the decision, Ms. Yoest said “processing of the decertification petition is precluded by a contract bar.”
In a statement, Charissa Ruth, a care partner at UPMC Washington and chapter president of the union, said frontline workers “applaud” the ruling and noted they approved their contract by a strong majority in February 2025. She added that amid rising living costs and healthcare funding pressures, “the last thing we would do right now is cancel our contract,” emphasizing plans to strengthen it in future negotiations.
UPMC shared the following statement with Becker’s: “We respect the NLRB’s decision on this issue. We also continue to respect the rights of team members to decide whether unionization is right for them and their families, in accordance with any appropriate processes. We are committed to providing team members with facts to support a fully informed decision if they have an opportunity to vote on a union representation issue. “
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