A National Labor Relations Board judge ruled against Napa, Calif.-based Queen of the Valley Medical Center Feb. 28 on issues regarding caregivers who supported unionization.
Here are six things to know.
1. Judge Sharon Levinson Steckler ordered Queen of the Valley Medical Center to continue bargaining in good faith and reverse retaliatory actions taken against the more than 400 employees who voted to join the National Union of Healthcare Workers in November 2016, according to a union news release.
2. NUHW said the judge found the hospital had committed a "litany" of violations against those employees, including one case where a pro-union employee's shift was changed, forcing her to give up her second job.
3. The judge's ruling comes after the NLRB filed a "bad faith bargaining order" against Queen of the Valley Medical Center last year related to the election.
4. Union officials said the hospital initially worked with NUHW but later "abruptly withdrew recognition, claiming that the labor board erred in conducting the election by mail rather than inside the hospital. Since last March, the hospital has refused to honor its agreements with NUHW, provide workers with union representation, or bargain a contract unless we agreed that the contract could be voided if the hospital succeeded in overturning the election."
5. According to NUHW, the judge allowed two weeks for the hospital to comply with her ruling.
6. Queen of the Valley Medical Center's CEO, Larry Coomes, disagreed with the ruling.
In a statement to Becker's, he said the "decision is not final and will be reviewed by the National Labor Relations Board ... Either party can appeal the NLRB's decision to the federal court of appeal to determine whether the regional office of the NLRB properly certified the election. We strongly believe that pursuing our appeal to the highest allowable court is necessary to protect the rights of our employees and is consistent with our mission of inclusion for all."
More articles on human capital and risk:
What Is Geofencing and How Can It Help Talent Acquisition?
18k Kaiser nurses vote for option to strike at California facilities
Union nurses in Michigan host patient safety rally at Ascension hospital