Hospital Nurses Edge Closer to Unionizing
Registered nurses at Los Robles Regional Medical Center in Thousand Oaks took another step toward gaining official recognition for a union Friday, filing a petition with the National Labor Relations Board to request an election.
If the union wins a majority in the federally supervised vote, it would become the bargaining agent for about 300 registered nurses at the hospital.
The organizing effort began earlier this year after a cut in benefits for the nurses.
An election is supposed to take place within 45 days after the petition is filed, but disagreements between workers and management about the details of the process can delay the vote.
Jim Moreau, an organizer for the American Federation of Nurses Local 535, said nurses voted to seek the federally supervised election by an overwhelming margin at a meeting Thursday.
Acting chief hospital administrator Ken Underwood said the National Labor Relations Board had not yet notified him of the filing.
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