Caregivers Union Wins Vote at Marian Medical Center.

News/Health Editors

SANTA MARIA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 15, 2001

Hospital employees at Marian Medical Center in Santa Maria, Ca. Wednesday night voted to join the Caregivers and Healthcare Employees Union (CHEU), a new hospital employee union formed earlier this year that has now come out on top in its first two representation elections.

CHEU won 172 votes to 150 for "no union." The Service Employees International Union received 10 votes despite a large allocation of staff and other resources. There were also 35 challenged votes. While CHEU won a majority, 52% of the votes that were counted, the results will not be final until the challenges are resolved.

CHEU would represent 425 employees at the hospital, including Licensed Vocational Nurses, service, maintenance, and technical employees at the hospital. The Registered Nurses, who reached a tentative agreement on their first contract this week, are represented by the California Nurses Association. CHEU is allied with CNA.

"It's a new day at Marian," said Steve Lopez, a bio-med technician at the hospital, which is located on California's Central Coast.

"Now we'll finally be able to have a voice and negotiate over our issues. We'll have even more power because we'll be able to work with the RNs and CNA," said Lopez.

In addition to Wednesday's vote, CHEU is also seeking to represent 125 employees at Marian's satellite facilities, including the Extended Care Center, a large long term care facility. An election will be held for those employees on December 11.

CHEU's victory at Marian comes just one week after the union topped all contenders and won a near majority to represent hospital employees at Glendale Memorial Hospital and Health Center in Los Angeles County.

In the Glendale election, CHEU won 244 votes to 217 for "no union" and 50 votes for SEIU. Pending resolution of 43 challenged ballots in that election, CHEU will win outright or be in a runoff with "no union."

Both Marian and Glendale Memorial are part of Catholic Healthcare West, the state's largest hospital system. CHEU has also been meeting with hospital workers at other facilities.