Registered nurses at Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula in Monterey, Calif., have filed for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board.
The nurses are seeking to join the California Nurses Association, according to a Dec. 15 media advisory shared with Becker’s. As of Dec. 16, no election date had been scheduled.
If an election occurs and nurses vote in favor of unionization, California Nurses Association would represent roughly 800 nurses at the hospital, according to the NLRB.
In the advisory, the union said nurses are pursuing union representation to address patient safety concerns, citing staffing levels and what they described as unsafe care conditions.
“Registered nurses at CHOMP are committed to providing the highest quality care for the people of Monterey,” Sandy Reding, RN and CNA president, said in a statement. “That’s why they’ve taken this first step toward forming a union — filing for an NLRB election — so they can advocate as a collective for contracts that will ensure safe working conditions, protect nurses’ rights, and allow nurses to do what they do best, which is care for our patients.”
CHOMP is part of Monterey-based Montage Health.
Mindy Maschmeyer, director of marketing and communications at Montage Health, shared the following statement with Becker’s:
“Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula has always been proud of our strong, collaborative relationship with employees, the positive work environment we provide. We believe this partnership, along with competitive compensation and benefits, gives our team a meaningful voice in shaping the organization without the need for union representation.
“While we are disappointed that some of the nurses have chosen this course of action, we respect their right to make their own decisions and would hope they would do so only after being fully informed of all the facts. Our priority continues to be supporting our nursing team and delivering exceptional care to our patients.”
