Nurses seek vote against NNU officials at Ascension St. Agnes Hospital

Angel J. Valencia | Staff Attorney (2018-Present) | NRTWLD&EF, Inc

By Sky Industry News

Nov 18, 2024

Nurses at Ascension St. Agnes Hospital in Baltimore have called for a federal labor board to conduct a vote to remove National Nurses United (NNU) union officials from their workplace. Jennifer Delaney, a nurse at the hospital, submitted a union decertification petition to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) on November 15, representing hundreds of her colleagues. Delaney received free legal assistance from the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation staff attorneys.

The NLRB is responsible for enforcing federal labor laws, including managing elections to install or remove unions. Delaney's petition reportedly contains enough employee signatures to trigger a decertification vote under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA).

The petition requests a vote among all "full-time, regular part-time, and per diem registered nurses" at Ascension St. Agnes Hospital’s acute care facility in Baltimore, which includes about 600 nurses.

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In Maryland, where there are no Right to Work protections for private sector workers, NNU union officials can enforce contracts requiring nurses like Delaney to pay union dues or fees as employment conditions. In contrast, Right to Work states make union membership and financial support voluntary.

A successful decertification vote would strip union officials of their forced-dues power and their ability to impose monopoly bargaining contracts on employees who oppose the union.

"This union proved itself to be a divisive force as soon as it began campaigning at our hospital," commented Delaney. "Many of the nurses opposed its agenda from the very beginning, and a year since it gained power it is still making things difficult for both us and our patients. We are confident that a majority of our coworkers will vote to restore the independence we once had in our workplace."

Similar efforts are underway in other healthcare facilities. In New York City metro area and Long Island, Foundation staff attorneys assist nurses at Clara Maass Medical Center and various healthcare workers in Sun River Health Inc., seeking union decertification elections.

National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix commented on these trends: "Across the country, healthcare workers seem to be discovering that having union bosses in their workplace doesn’t necessarily help them take better care of their patients." He noted that unions sometimes prioritize their interests over those of rank-and-file nurses or attempt strikes that disrupt patient care.

Mix added: "Regardless, we’ll continue to defend the right of Ms. Delaney, the nurses at St. Agnes Ascension Hospital, and many other healthcare workers across the country to decertify unions they don’t want."