After Ithaca nurses at Cayuga Medical Center overwhelmingly voted to unionize in January under the Communications Workers of America, the CWA filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board alleging that Cayuga Medical Center violated federal labor law and nurses’ right to organization protected by Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act.
The CWA, who represent more than 15,000 healthcare workers across New York, New Jersey, and New England, alleged in their April 2 complaint that during the unionization drive, Cayuga Medical Center committed a variety of unfair labor practices, including threatening and surveilling nurses, interfering with nurses’ discussions of unionization, bargaining in bad faith and closing facilities without any advanced notice.
Specifically, the union claims a CMC manager contacted a nurse’s second job to complain about unionization efforts, according to The Ithaca Voice
The charges filed against Cayuga Health come amid an uncertain time in the labor relations environment, as the Trump administration’s NLRB is backlogged in unfair labor practices prosecution cases due to a nearly year-long failure to meet a board quorum.
Cayuga Health’s actions “feel disrespectful of our legal rights, and it concerns me that there is such opposition to something that statistically will improve outcomes for patients,” said Shane Snyder, an in-patient wound nurse, in CWA’s statement sent to The Sun.
Studies on the effects of nurse unions are mixed but generally show patient outcomes improving, though access to care may worsen.
“We voted overwhelmingly to unionize months ago, but we still haven't formally started negotiations. We want to start bargaining our contract, and I urge management to stop delaying and work with us to find a compromise.”
Despite 82% of nurses voting in favor of unionization in an election recognized by the NLRB in January, Cayuga Medical Center nurses have not begun the bargaining process with the hospital.
The union alleges that the hospital is continuing to harass, pressure and intimidate members instead of coming to the bargaining table to proceed with a new collective bargaining agreement.
“I’m disappointed and saddened that hospital leadership is choosing to not work in partnership with our union,” said Jacki Thompson, a nurse educator. “We are facing harassment and intimidation tactics, which only distract us from the work of patient care.”
Cayuga Health denies the union’s allegations of unfair labor practices.
“It is disappointing to see the latest unfair labor practice charges filed by the Communications Workers of America, as we have been actively discussing these same topics with union representatives in just the last week,” Melissa Tourtellotte, a spokesperson for Cayuga Health, wrote in a statement to The Sun.
“Cayuga Health denies the allegations and objects to the union’s characterization which does not reflect the ongoing dialogue,” Tourtellotte wrote.
Cayuga Health asserted that the CWA has previously filed unfair labor practice charges that were either dismissed or involved isolated incidents that were immediately addressed.
“The nurses want to move forward and are ready to sit down at the table with CMC leadership to negotiate a union contract that strengthens our workforce and continues the mission of the hospital,” Thompson said.
