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NLRB issues complaint against parent company of Watsonville Community Hospital
WATSONVILLE >> A federal labor agency alleges that the parent company of Watsonville Community Hospital and six other subsidiary hospitals engaged in unfair labor practices in violation of the National Labor Relations Act.
The National Labor Relations Board Office of General Counsel issued a consolidated complaint Monday against Community Health Systems Inc., the nation’s second largest for-profit hospital chain, following unsuccessful settlement efforts and transferred the cases to its Cleveland office where litigation is to begin Dec. 15.
“This is great news for the Watsonville RNs,” said Martha Wallner of National Nurses United. “If CHS doesn’t settle before the trial date in December then the administrative law judge will begin a circuit of the U.S. to hear evidence against CHS in each community including Watsonville. The hearings will be public.”
Tomi Galin, spokeswoman for Tennessee-based Community Health Systems, said, “We disagree with the National Labor Relations Board General Counsel’s determinations and intend to vigorously contest this through the appropriate forums. Quality patient care will continue at each of the named hospitals.”
The NLRB complaint consolidates 29 charges filed against Watsonville Community Hospital, Fallbrook Hospital and Barstow Community Hospital, all in California, Affinity Medical Center in Ohio, Kentucky River Medical Center in Kentucky, Bluefield Regional Medical Center and Greenbrier Valley Medical Center, both in West Virginia.
The NLRB complaint alleges Community Health Systems violated employee rights by maintaining rules that infringe on employees’ rights to discuss wages, hours and working conditions with one another, taking actions against employees participating in union activities and failing to engage in good-faith bargaining.
Watsonville nurses successfully asked the City Council for a resolution support last month, alleging inadequate staffing in the critical care unit and contending supervisors discipline and terminate those who address understaffing.
The nurses have been in contract negotiations for two years.
“CHS has used its power and wealth to chip away at the quality of care since it first purchased our community hospital in 1998,” said Watsonville nurse Jennifer Holm. “They have disregarded nurses’ concerns about patient safety for far too long.”
The NLRB complaint seeks reinstatement of employees subjected to discretionary discharges prior to bargaining, reimbursement for negotiation expenses and a corporate-wide cease and desist order against unfair labor practices.
The hospital chain reported net income of $111 million on $4.8 billion in revenue in the second quarter vs. a net loss of $42 million on $4.7 billion in revenue a year ago. Admissions were down, which the company attributed to the economy in smaller non-urban markets. Afterward, analyst John Ransom at Raymond James Financial raised his rating on shares of Community Health Systems to “outperform.”