Hospital employees OK SEIU representation

Michelle Swafford

Monday, Oct. 18, 2004 | 11:06 a.m.

Non-management employees at St. Rose Dominican Hospitals in Henderson voted Oct. 14 to unionize.

The Service Employees International Union Local 1107 will represent about 1,500 registered nurses, technicians, clerks, cafeteria workers and other support staff at the Siena and Rose de Lima campuses of St. Rose Dominican Hospitals.

In the registered nurses' vote, 238 of them voted in favor of the union, while 167 voted against it, St. Rose spokesman Andy North said. In the vote of service, maintenance and technical workers, 344 of them voted for the union and 224 voted in opposition, he said.

"St. Rose Dominican Hospitals have been committed to the principle that employees must be free to choose in a secret ballot election whether or not to join a union," he said. "Now that these two groups have chosen union representation the collective bargaining process will begin. We will go into contract negotiations with a commitment to seek an agreement that benefits all involved and focuses on patient care."

No dates or deadlines have been set, but the parties have agreed to move forward quickly.

"We are looking forward to a positive, long-term relationship with SEIU where we can continue to improve overall patient care in Southern Nevada, Nevada Market President and St. Rose President Rod Davis said.

Jane McAlevey, executive director of the SEIU Local 1107, said the union would negotiate for pension plans instead of the hospitals' current retirement plans.

"All (Las) Vegas workers want a pension and SEIU is committed to winning a pension," she said, adding that the Catholic Healthcare hospitals in California offer one. "It's just a matter of time."

The SEIU said it has a four-year labor contract that began in June and covers about 14,000 Catholic Healthcare West employees in 28 California hospitals. Catholic Healthcare owns 42 hospitals including the two in Henderson.

The union will also negotiate for better health plans and higher wages, McAlevey said.

"No one meets the Desert Springs (Hospital) and Valley (Hospital) wages standard now," she said. "Our goal in all negotiations is to take our most recent victory and continue on until we raise the standards for all Vegas valley workers."

The SEIU won wage increases of between 11 percent and 21 percent for the registered nurses at Universal Health Services Inc.-owned hospitals Desert Springs and Valley.

In September, St. Rose and the SEIU agreed to hold joint meetings to educate employees about their right to choose whether they want a union and the union election process.

The union and St. Rose have not always had an amicable relationship. The SEIU postponed an election last November and filed charges with the Las Vegas office of the National Labor Relations Board that allege that the hospitals were interfering with the election and terminating some employees "in reprisal" for their activities on behalf of the SEIU.

Those charges have been withdrawn and are being privately settled between the parties.

The SEIU represents registered nurses at University Medical Center, Desert Springs, Valley and Sunrise hospitals. It also represents technicians at Desert Springs Hospital and health employees at Clark County Health District.