May 12—MANKATO — A second group of Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato employees has filed a petition to ask for a vote on removing their labor union.
Employee Melody Morris, who's a part of the group made up of nursing support staff, clerical staff and environmental staff, filed a petition May 9 asking the National Labor Relations Board to hold a vote at the clinic on whether American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, known as AFSCME, should continue to represent them.
The action comes less than a year after the system's Mankato nurses voted the Minnesota Nurses Association union out of the facility, according to the National Right to Work Foundation, which is helping the group.
There are 200 employees in the current unit, according to Mark Mix, National Right to Work Foundation president. At least 30% of workers in the unit need to support the petition in order to have a vote to remove the union, he said, adding that more than 100 people signed it.
"In this case, the majority of the workers actually signed the petition, so more than enough to not only get the petition and have the election, but if they continue to have the same views, more than enough to vote the union out," he said.
Mix said a vote could be scheduled in the next couple of weeks and occur sometime in the next four or five weeks.
He was unable to answer why this group was filing the petition, but said it comes amid similar cases where health care employees no longer wished to be a part of unions they oppose.
Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato declined an interview but sent The Free Press a statement that said in part that they are aware of the petition filed to NLRB.
"This is a staff-led effort, and we are grateful for the confidence these individuals have in Mayo Clinic Health System," the statement said.
AFSCME also sent The Free Press a statement that said in part the petition impacted workers' freedom to negotiate for safe staffing levels, fair wages and benefits.
"The timing of this makes it clear that this is a coordinated effort to silence anyone — Minnesota voters, Minnesota workers, Minnesota elected officials — that would raise concerns about safe staffing levels and fair wages for working people," the statement said.