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St. Joseph responds to union effort

Published: Wednesday, April 15, 2009 at 12:34 p.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, April 15, 2009 at 12:34 p.m.

SANTA ROSA, April 15, 2009 – St. Joseph Health System sent a letter to all Sonoma County employees Tuesday saying, as has always been its policy, that it will honor unionization as long as the required 30 percent of eligible employees support the effort and they file with the national labor board.

The memo was sent in response to a petition filed with the National Labor Relations Board on behalf of employees Monday, according to the National Union of Healthcare Employees.

In a press release from the union released with the petition, the group said workers have pursued for several years an effort to negotiate fair ground rules for union election with the St. Joseph Health System-run Memorial Hospital before being asked to file with the labor board.

The labor board will likely schedule an election sometime in the next 45 days so that workers can vote on whether to join the union. St. Joseph said it will honor all privacy considerations and mutually negotiate ground rules for the proceeding.

“We know all employees directly affected want the opportunity to speak up on this important issue, and we fully support their right to express their wishes about union representation,” the letter stated.


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