STATE LABOR BOARD SIDES WITH UNION ORGANIZERS AT HOSPITAL.Byline: Karen Maeshiro Staff Writer LANCASTER - The state Public Employment Relations Board has ruled in favor of union organizers in their fight to represent support-services workers at Antelope Valley This article is about the Los Angeles County region. For the census-designated place in Wyoming, see Antelope Valley-Crestview, Wyoming. The Antelope Valley Hospital. The ruling caps a three-year organizing effort by Service Employees International Union United Healthcare Workers West to unionize licensed vocational nurses licensed vocational nurse n. Abbr. LVN A licensed practical nurse who is permitted by license to practice in California or Texas. , food service workers, clerical staff and others. ``I am excited and am confident that the administration will work with us. They were just looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. clarification. They wanted to make sure they were doing the right thing, and I think now that they have that,'' said Carolyn Williams, an LVN LVN licensed vocational nurse. LVN abbr. licensed vocational nurse for four years. ``I doubt that administration will make decisions for us without first talking to somebody who represents us.'' Hospital spokeswoman Jackie Weder said Tuesday that officials would not comment because they had not yet received the state board's official ruling. Hospital officials appealed last year to the state board after an administrative law judge administrative law judge n. a professional hearing officer who works for the government to preside over hearings and appeals involving governmental agencies. They are generally experienced in the particular subject matter of the agency involved or of several agencies. ruled in favor of the union. The judge ruled that 84 ``no union'' cards signed and dated by workers did not count as votes against the union. The administrative law administrative law, law governing the powers and processes of administrative agencies. The term is sometimes used also of law (i.e., rules, regulations) developed by agencies in the course of their operation. judge's ruling stemmed from a count of union authorization cards signed by workers between March 2003 and March 2004. There are 1,100 employees who are eligible to be represented by the union. A total of 569 employees signed the cards, but 89 workers revoked their previously signed cards, saying they no longer wanted a union - 84 by the ``no union'' cards, five by writing letters. That left 480 employees who said yes to the union, which is not a majority, hospital officials said. ``We conclude that the (hospital) district unreasonably withheld recognition of SEIU SEIU Service Employees International Union SEIU Special Education Intake Unit SEIU Secondary Education Interdisciplinary Unit SEIU Software Engineering Institute Union by treating the `no union' slips as revoking the SEIU authorization cards,'' the PERB PERB Public Employment Relations Board (Canada) PERB Phoenix Employment Relations Board (Arizona) PERB Performance Evaluation Review Board ruling said. ``The `no union' slips do not show the signers' specific intent to revoke the SEIU authorization cards and therefore, should not be deducted from the tally of SEIU authorization cards.'' ``They ruled that the majority was clear. The union submitted the majority of union authorization cards in March 2004, and that's the proper procedure for gaining union recognition,'' said Gary Guthman, SEIU organizer. The hospital must now recognize the union, Guthman said. Karen Maeshiro, (661) 267-5744 karen.maeshiro(at)dailynews.com |
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