Nov. 10—La Familia Health could be a full union shop by the end of the year.
Nurses and other support staff want to follow the doctors and dentists and get "a voice" in company decisions in a year that has seen a CEO hired and fired, $2 million in budget cuts, doctors leaving, 10% salary cuts for most staff and a fundraising plea for $1 million to keep La Familia operating.
The non-doctor staff Wednesday notified La Familia and filed with the National Labor Relations Board to form a union within the National Union of Hospital and Health Care Employees District 1199NM in Albuquerque.
The doctors, dentists, nurse practitioners and midwives, following a 16-1 employee vote to form a union, were recognized Sept. 27 by the National Labor Relations Board as a bargaining unit represented by the Union of American Physicians and Dentists under American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 206.
The remaining non-management employees decided to follow the doctors' lead and have been working with District 1199NM since August.
"Maybe we should unionize," said a staff member who asked not to be identified. "When we got the notice of pay cuts, that ramped everything up. We don't know how to protect ourselves other than forming a union."
On Oct. 11, La Familia announced salaried employees earning more than $20 per hour would see a 10% pay cut in November or work 10% fewer hours after an 8% increase in expenses forced the health care provider to slash its budget from $20.6 million to $18.6 million. La Familia, which has 180 employees in four locations, also laid off 17 people.
District 1199NM is working with 98 employees that include nurses, medical and dental assistants, information technology staff, patient services representatives, lab personnel, billing specialists and other support staff, said Yolanda Ulmer, the district vice president.
"They are not getting enough training to do the job," Ulmer said about La Familia staff. "Employees are concerted for patient safety. They are feeling burned out. They want a voice. We have to make sure to keep [La Familia] up and going with good working conditions. I think right now the most important part is that everybody has job security."
Ulmer believes the second La Familia union could be acknowledged by the NLRB by the end of the year. La Familia can voluntarily accept the union, or the staff can petition the NLRB for an election. This would require 30% of the eligible staff to sign the petition and a majority vote in favor is required to approve the union.