Labor News from Catholic Healthcare

More than 200 nurses at Providence Hospital in Washington D.C. who are represented by National Nurses United (NNU) have negotiated a new contract. The Nurses report that, beyond wage gains, they won “more time for nurses to discuss patient care issues: The Professional Practice Committee (PPC), comprised of nurse leaders from units throughout the hospital, meets to monitor and resolve patient care issues. The new contract allows nurses more time to dedicate to the PPC.” Meanwhile, nurses at Holy Cross Hospital in nearby Silver Spring, MD are seeking to join NNU.

Employees at Napa’s Queen of the Valley Medical Center, in contrast, voted to join the National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW) back in 2016 but still don’t have a contract. Instead of bargaining, hospital administrators have been demanding a rerun of the election. Sorry, Queen of the Valley, you don’t keep getting election do-overs until you get the result you want. A federal judge has ordered that the hospital stop stalling and bargain in good faith.