Ca Group of CVMC nurses files papers to unionize

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.dailybulletin.com/ci_9047365

Neil Nisperos, Staff Writer
Article Created: 04/24/2008 09:41:52 PM PDT

CHINO - Some nurses at Chino Valley Medical Center have expressed an interest in unionizing, citing the need to improve patient care through more patient time and increasing staffing.

In order to unionize, the group of nurses filed paperwork last week with the National Labor Relations Board to hold an election.

An election has not yet been scheduled by the NLRB, said Tony Bisceglia, assistant to the regional director of the NLRB.

When an election is scheduled, a secret ballot vote would be held at the hospital for about 200 nurses on whether to join the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals. Typically, elections take place within 42 days from the time of an NLRB filing.

"We believe in the NLRB process, and we support that process," said Radha Savitala, assistant general counsel at Chino Valley Medical Center, though she declined to comment further on the election process.

Sandy Reynolds, a registered nurse at the hospital, said the national nursing shortage has caused problems in attracting and retaining nurses at hospitals throughout the country.

"We seem to have that problem in Chino," Reynolds said. "So if we're not attracting and retaining, we have a tendency to be understaffed, which compromises our ability to provide what we do best, which is nursing care."

Reynolds said because of the staffing issue, nurses at the hospital feel rushed.

FULL story at link.