Hospitals deny charges of employee intimidation

Art Nadler

Friday, July 2, 1999 | 11:58 a.m.

Accusations that management at Desert Springs Hospital and Valley Hospital Medical Center intimidated employees prior to union elections are unfounded, the hospitals' spokesman says.

Elections were conducted at the two hospitals Tuesday and Wednesday to determine whether employees wanted the Nevada Service Employees International Union (SEIU) to represent them in contract negotiations.

Technicians at both hospitals voted in favor of the union. Registered nurses at Valley Hospital also voted to be represented.

Nurses at Desert Springs Hospital had been represented by the union since May 1997.

Following the election, Tom Beatty, executive director of the union, said in a written statement that the corporation that represents both hospitals -- Universal Health Systems -- "waged a campaign of confrontation and intimidation creating an atmosphere of fear among employees..."

Beatty said the union intended to conduct an investigation into what it saw as possible illegal activity.

But Ray Brown, a spokesman for Universal Health Systems, said management did nothing that union representatives hadn't done during their efforts to unionize employees.

Like the union, Brown said management passed out written information to employees touting the benefits of negotiating directly with management, and what they felt union representation would mean.

"There is no merit to this (union) accusation," Brown said. "To view this as intimidation is irresponsible."

The vote results showed that 226 nurses and 64 technicians at Valley Hospital voted in favor of the union. At Desert Springs Hospital, 74 technicians voted in favor of the union.

John Hummer, chief executive officer at Desert Springs Hospital, said the hospital's larger ancillary group of employees had rejected representation. They included administration, admitting personnel and medical records.

The hospital reported that 124, or 57 percent, of an ancillary staff of 217 people voted against the union.

"We respect the right of our employees, and understand their decision that they made," Hummer said. "The entire management team will work with our employees in partnership to improve our hospital. With or without a union, we will continue to do the right thing for all our employees."

Hummer said he welcomed any challenge from the union regarding the accusations of intimidation.

"This victory means so much to me," Tracey Tyson, a registered nurse at Valley Hospital, said in a written statement. "I got involved with the organizing effort at our hospital because I didn't feel that our concerns were being heard by hospital administration. Together as a union, we will now have a voice in the decisions that affect our jobs and patients."

Brown said the union vote still needs to be certified before the union and administrations from both hospitals can sit down and negotiate new contracts. He had no date when that might occur.