Employees at Great Falls, Mont.-based Benefis Health System have voted against joining the Montana Nurses Association, according to a Great Falls Tribune report.
Last month, Benefis nurses filed a petition for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board. NLRB recently conducted the election, which resulted in 357 "no" votes and 226 "yes" votes, according to Benefis. Additionally, there were 68 challenged ballots and one voided ballot.
"Our campaign focused on all nurses' commitment to keeping Benefis the place that the Great Falls community can rely on for the highest quality care," Tami Creek, RN, a Benefis nurse who was part of the organizing committee seeking unionization, said in the report.
She added: "We are disappointed with this result. But our belief that nurses' voices are essential in decisions that affect patient care and safety is undiminished."
Benefis Health System CEO John Goodnow spoke positively of the vote.
“We respect the decision of our nurses and are glad that so many people turned out to make their voice heard in this decision. We appreciate the nurses’ collective decision to not be part of a union and our opportunity to continue our direct working relationship with the nurses," he said in an emailed statement to Becker's Hospital Review. “We will now move forward as a united team committed to providing high-quality care to Great Falls and our surrounding communities, as we always have, and put the union campaign and the vote behind us.”