Support staff at Copley Hospital in Morrisville, Vt., voted Jan. 14 to retain their union, United Nurses & Allied Professionals, in place following a decertification petition, News & Citizen reported.
The vote was 73-38 in favor of retaining the union, with five ballots challenged, according to the National Labor Relations Board, which conducted the election.
Decertification votes are relatively rare compared with standard union representation elections and unionization drives. Hospital employees may vote to remove their union or replace it with a different one, according to the NLRB. To trigger a decertification vote, at least 30% of eligible workers must sign a petition requesting an election. The outcome determines whether the union is reaffirmed.
The vote at Copley occurred after 30% of union members brought a petition, News & Citizen reported. Support workers voted to unionize in November 2024 and are currently negotiating their first labor contract.
“Our coworkers spoke clearly today. We voted to stay organized, to fight for a livable wage and fight for a fair contract so we can provide the best care to our patients and the community,” Sarah Bray, a union-represented support staff member at Mansfield Orthopaedics, a Copley practice in Waterbury Center, Vt., said in a statement shared with the publication.
Joseph Woodin, president and CEO of Morrisville-based Copley Health Systems — who has led both unionized and nonunionized hospitals and was previously a union member in a nonhealthcare role — noted the rarity of such a decertification election, saying he had never seen an organization actually pursue one during his career.
Mr. Woodin told Becker’s the hospital supports working collaboratively with United Nurses & Allied Professionals and emphasized the organization’s commitment to its staff, saying, “We all need to work together.”
Copley Hospital is a nonprofit critical access hospital. Contract negotiations with support staff are ongoing.
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