SANTA ROSA -- After more than six years of attempts to organize, about 600 Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital workers will finally vote whether to have union representation Dec. 17 and Dec. 18, following an agreement this morning between two warring labor groups and the employer.
The National Union of Healthcare Workers, Service Employees International Union and St. Joseph Health System officials and attorneys were slated to debate final concerns related to the election during a hearing this morning, but just before the meeting, the parties signed an agreement.
According to the document, the group of nursing assistants, respiratory therapists, radiology and other health care-related technicians will have five different time slots to vote during the two-day period from a conference room on the Santa Rosa hospital property.
"We endorse our employees’ right to choose whether they wish to be represented by a union, and if so, by which union. We’ll be adhering to the process outlined in the National Labor Relations Act," said hospital spokeswoman Katy Hillenmeyer.
