Federal court: BRMC, GVMC must recognize nurses union
Source: Bluefield Daily Telegraph
By GREG JORDAN
BLUEFIELD — A federal court has ordered two West Virginia hospitals to stop blocking a democratic vote by nurses, recognize the nurses’ right to join a union and bargain with them for a first collective bargaining agreement, representatives of a nursing union said in a press release Friday.
The United States 4th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a judicial mandate on July 18 that two West Virginia hospitals, Bluefield Regional Medical Center (BRMC), in Bluefield and Greenbrier Valley Medical Center (GVMC), in Ronceverte, recognize and bargain with registered nurses affiliated with the National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United, according to union representatives. In its order, the court acted on a request from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) which prosecuted unfair labor practice charges brought by NNOC/NNU against BRMC and GVMC. The NLRB turned to the courts for enforcement after BRMC and GVMC refused to recognize and bargain with the union.
On July 12, the NLRB found merit to a number of charges brought by NNOC/NNU relating to more recent and ongoing unlawful conduct by BRMC and GVMC. The NLRB will prosecute both hospitals and parent company, Community Health Systems/CHS, if they do not remedy the violations. Tennessee-based CHS is the nation’s largest for-profit hospital chain, reporting $1.5 billion in profits over the last five years.
“We are happy that the NLRB is holding our employer accountable to the law and is ordering them to rescind the unlawful changes they’ve made. It is disappointing that such extreme measures must be taken especially when we are using our labor rights to protect our patients,” Tracey Jesse, RN, BRMC said.
FULL story at link.
Read more: http://www.bdtonline.com/news/federal-court-brmc-gvmc-must-recognize-nurses-union/article_b2617964-56a2-11e6-985b-6fc9730a0436.html
= new reply since forum marked as read
After all these decades of repuke sabotage, it's nice to see better outcomes for workers! One battle at a time! Three cheers for Secretary Perez! 
