An employee who had been passing out flyers at Miami Valley Hospital regarding the union efforts later had her job terminated, according to the union organizers.
“We have not and would not, nor would I condone, permit or allow us to terminate anyone on the basis of wanting to unionize,” said Stacey Lawson, chief human resources officer at Premier Health.
The employee who was let go and another person were reportedly put on administrative leave immediately following the flyers incident. One employee was later put on corrective action at the hospital and the other had her job terminated, Emily Wu, one of the organizers, previously said.
Premier Health officials said they were not able to go into details about the employee who was fired due to confidentiality guidelines.
Terminating someone’s job because of unionization efforts is an unfair labor practice under federal law, which the hospital denies committing.
Lawson claimed that “No organization, I wouldn’t just say that’s limited to us, but no organization would engage in something like that.”
But that’s not true. In recent years, the National Labor Relations Board has issued rulings against employers including Verizon, Quickway Transportation, Starbucks and others, requiring reinstatement of employees who were fired because of union activities.
When asked if other employees had ever been let go due to passing out flyers, Lawson said she was unsure if anyone had been let go as a result of solely passing out flyers. Lawson indicated there were other reasons the hospital terminated this employee’s job that they were not able to comment on during a press conference held this week.
“When the hospital makes a decision to separate anyone’s employment, it’s not a decision that we make lightly, because we do have a goal to improve retention,” said Lawson.
Premier Health hired a director of labor relations to work with the people trying to unionize, and it has since connected with some of those employees, Lawson said. They’ve also connected with the UAW, with Lawson saying there are differences between hospital operations and automotive industries.
“That adds a layer of complexity and some intricacies in them understanding health care,” Lawson said.
The UAW is one of the largest and most diverse unions in North America, with members in virtually every sector of the economy, according to the UAW’s website.
UAW-represented workplaces range from multinational corporations, small manufacturers and state and local governments to colleges and universities, hospitals and private nonprofit organizations.
A possible date for the nurses to vote on unionizing is still unknown.
“We care for our caregivers. Our caregivers work tirelessly,” Lawson said.
Premier Health has five hospital sites, including Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, which is the region’s only level I trauma center for adults. In addition, Premier Health provides care at its seven emergency departments, eight urgent care locations, and more than 130 outpatient locations and affiliated primary care and specialty physician offices, as well as home health, mental health and substance use services.
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