Nurses' union efforts die, 5 years and ballots not counted

http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695244109,00.html

Petition for Salt Lake Regional is withdrawn
By Lois M. Collins
Deseret Morning News
Published: Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2008 12:46 a.m. MST

Efforts to unionize nurses at Salt Lake Regional Medical Center are apparently over, with ballots cast five years ago destined to go uncounted.

Suzanne Martin, a spokeswoman for the United American Nurses, confirmed Monday the union has withdrawn its petition — an action that came as hospital owner Iasis Healthcare was waiting for word from the National Labor Relations Board regional office on when the ballots would be returned to Salt Lake for counting.

Doug Boudreaux, spokesman for Iasis Healthcare, said it is still awaiting word on whether and when the votes will be counted. But Iasis had heard rumors that the petition was pulled.

"We have not received official word on anything yet," he said. "Until we do, we can't comment."

Officially, Iasis is waiting to be told of the time and place where the ballots will be counted.

The effort to unionize the hospital's nurses has been a long and sometimes contentious one. For years, the issue of whether nurses sometimes assigned as "charge nurses" are supervisors held up the ballot count. The regional NLRB's application of the national ruling in the SLRMC case persuaded the union to step away.

FULL story at link.