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Union making a run at organizing PMC |
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Wednesday, 28 May 2008 |
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Page 1 of 2 By Buck Traxler, I-O Editor
Board chairman of the Pondera Medical Center (PMC), Byron Bokma, announced on Thursday that the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is making a run at organizing about 80 nonprofessional employees at the PMC.
A union election is expected sometime within the next four weeks.
“With our recent turnover of the facilities CEO, it’s not unusual for employees to be anxious about the future,” he said. Bokma went on to add, “This is a time that our employees are most vulnerable to outside influences that may come along with promises to fix all that is wrong at the hospital.”
“We are still somewhat surprised at this development and intend to let our quality employees know that we don’t think a union is needed,” he said.
The National Labor Relations Board contacted the hospital last week indicating that the SEIU, Missoula Local 117565 whose main office is in Seattle, filed the petition.
The NLRB rules of a campaign are now in play, which restricts the PMC from making any changes to salaries, benefits and other working conditions.
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