A union for skilled maintenance workers is alleging that Prime Healthcare is bargaining in bad faith at eight of its Illinois hospitals \u2014 the latest union battle at the healthcare system.<\/p>\n
The International Union of Operating Engineers Local 399 filed 10 unfair labor practice charges against the Prime hospitals and MedSpace Services with the National Labor Relations Board on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Prime bought the eight hospitals<\/a> from Ascension last year. MedSpace is a subsidiary of Prime Healthcare Management, Inc., which provides management and support services within the Prime system.<\/p>\n Each of the charges alleges that Prime \u201chas intentionally and repeatedly bargained in bad faith with its employees\u2019 exclusive bargaining representative.\u201d The union represents about 12 to 24 skilled maintenance employees at each site, including those who work on HVAC systems and plumbing, according to the union.<\/p>\n Prime is \u201cfully committed to acting in good faith in all our bargaining practices,\u201d a Prime spokesperson said in a statement Thursday.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are reviewing the allegations made by IUOE 399 as we remain engaged with our skilled maintenance workers at our Illinois hospitals, working together to provide safe, high-quality facilities and patient care to the communities that count on us,\u201d the Prime spokesperson said in the statement.<\/p>\n Kendall Paraharm, a business agent for Local 399, said initially Prime wouldn\u2019t recognize Local 399 as the representative for the bargaining units, even though it represented them under Ascension. Then, Paraharm said, when Prime did recognize Local 399 and start contract negotiations, the offers it made would have meant losses of accrued vacation time and seniority for workers, among other things.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of the terms Prime was suggesting would have resulted in a lot of losses for people who\u2019d been there for decades,\u201d Paraharm said.<\/p>\n Typically, after an unfair labor practice charge is made, the NLRB will investigate the charge. If the investigation finds sufficient evidence to support the charge, efforts are made to help the parties reach a settlement, according to the NLRB. If no settlement is reached, then the agency can issue a complaint, which leads to a hearing before an NLRB administrative law judge.<\/p>\n The unfair labor practice charges come amid a separate fight between Prime\u2019s Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital in Chicago and hospital nurses seeking to unionize. The nurses have called a one-day strike<\/a> for June 11.<\/p>\n The nurses filed a petition May 20 with the NLRB to hold a union election and hope to be represented by the National Nurses Organizing Committee\/National Nurses United.<\/p>\n