Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2003 | 10:58 a.m.
Nearly 600 nurses from St. Rose Dominican hospitals in Henderson will vote on whether to unionize on Nov. 7 and 8.
This is the first time the full- and part-time nurses at Rose de Lima and Siena campuses have formally organized to vote on whether to align themselves with the Service Employees International Union Local 1107. The two Henderson hospitals are owned by California-based Catholic Healthcare West, which has numerous unionized hospitals in California.
The election comes shortly after annual performance evaluations that affect wages and shortly before open enrollment of benefits, said Shauna Walch, hospital spokeswoman.
"We prefer a direct relationship with our employees, however any Catholic Healthcare employee should have a free, educated choice to vote," she said. "People have a right to vote, both in our country and in Catholic social teachings."
Hospital officials and union representatives are busy educating the staff about the pros and cons of unions and the status quo before the election. Any literature distributed by the hospital or the union must be agreed upon by both parties.
"It's to make sure the communication that is presented is factual so there's no mud slinging, basically," Walch said.
"Nurses decide to reach out to the union because they want a greater say in their working conditions, pay, benefits and staffing," said Maryanne Salm, political director for SEIU Local 1107. "You're seeing a movement of nurses here in the valley. It's a realization that there's power in numbers."
"It's not adversarial at all," Salm said of the election.
SEIU Local 1107 represents about 4,000 nurses in the valley and 12,000 total employees in the Las Vegas area. Nurses are affiliated with the union at Sunrise, Desert Springs and Valley hospitals and University Medical Center.
There are no organizing plans at MountainView, Lake Mead, Spring Valley or Summerlin hospitals, said Ty Weinert, SEIU Local 1107 communications director.
A few months ago, Sunrise Hospital negotiated its second union contract, which set new standards in health care, Salm said.
In the new contract the hospital agreed to increase wages and maintain safe staffing levels that keep patients' needs in mind. It also established a stronger voice for nurses in all departments so they can take staffing practice concerns to a committee of nurses and managers.
Currently, employees at St. Rose Dominican hospitals have multiple benefits including a no-premium HMO health insurance plan, up to 100 percent tuition reimbursement and $2,500 net toward a home purchase.
It's too early to discuss specifics of any possible contracts, especially since the election hasn't occurred yet, Weinert said.
It's more them wanting to come together and have a voice in patient care, she said.
SEIU wants nurses to consider the negotiating power of a group effort and to look at the health care lobbying they've done on behalf on the industry.
Hospital officials want their employees to understand the purpose of a union and that it does represent a collective voice and, if approved, the union will represent everyone, whether they voted or not.
"Regardless of whether it's union or not union, our focus remains 24 hours a day, 365 days per year, our patients," Walch said. "They are our biggest priority."
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