THIRD UNION MAY ENTER NURSE VOTE SEIU TO FACE OFF WITH CNA?

Byline: Karen Maeshiro Staff Writer

LANCASTER - Antelope Valley Hospital employees who opposed the unionization of registered nurses by the California Nurses Association are now seeking representation by a competing union.

Having the Service Employees International Union enter the hotly disputed question over whether CNA should represent nurses could force the issue to an election.

``Because of the way the board swung, because of the new people and the new attitude of 'get over the fight and let the nurses have their union,' our group feels we can force an American vote to bring in a third union,'' said emergency room registered nurse Eileen Cromey, whose group, Employees for an Independent Hospital, asked for the SEIU to come in. ``That would represent the whole house as one. Instead of the CNA representing RNs, and the CHEU (Caregivers and Healthcare Employees Union) who would represent everybody else, the SEIU would represent everyone.''

Pro-CNA nurses and CNA officials characterized the move to bring in the SEIU as a last-minute ``desperate'' anti-union tactic devised by the board and administration to fight off the CNA unionization before new union-friendly board members are sworn in Dec. 5.

In the Nov. 5 election, challengers Dr. Don Parazo and retired nurse June Snow defeated incumbents Dr. Don Bean and Gary Hill. Parazo and Snow were both supported by the CNA during the election campaign.

``We see this as a thinly veiled attempt to bust the union after they know there's a board majority who wants to negotiate a contract,'' said CNA organizer Alan Hanson. ``Now that they have played every card available in the deck, they are trying one final trump card that they can bring out - bring in another union to confuse the process in an attempt to divide the work force.''

Pro-CNA registered nurse Julia Mallyon echoed Hanson's sentiments, saying the SEIU move is being made at the direction of a hospital consulting firm that union officials have described as ``union busters.''

``It's a last-ditch effort to try and stop the RNs from organizing with the CNA,'' Mallyon said. ``This is a dishonest attempt to further delay RN recognition. We followed the law and the rules. We are waiting for them to count our (union authorization) cards.''

Hill said the the hospital is not behind the SEIU drive, asking, ``How can competition with another union be an anti-union tactic?

``The CNA is afraid of the competition. They are afraid of having a secret-ballot election,'' Hill said. ``I don't know what the union is afraid of unless they think there is not enough support for them.''

The SEIU organizing drive officially began Thursday at the hospital, but several people at Wednesday's board meeting sported SEIU buttons, including, for a brief time, Hill and director Steve Fox.

Both Fox and Hill said they were given the buttons and took them off before the meeting began.

The CNA contends that a 2001 state law allows it to represent registered nurses at the hospital after a majority of them signed union-authorization cards. Hospital officials argued that the law doesn't supersede a hospital policy that calls for a secret-ballot election.

A judge sided with the CNA, ruling that hospital officials unlawfully refused to take part in the count of the cards. The hospital is appealing the ruling, but the incoming board members said they want to reconsider the appeal.

The state law calls for a neutral third party to determine whether CNA has collected the necessary number of cards. However, if a rival union wants to organize hospital workers, and has enough support from employees, the neutral third party must order an election.

``In the event that the neutral third party determines, based on a signed petition, authorization cards, or union membership cards, that a second labor organization has the support of at least 30 percent of the employees in the unit in which recognition is sought, the neutral third party shall order an election to establish which labor organization, if any, has majority status,'' the law states.