Northridge Hospital Nurses Vote to Join SEIU

Registered nurses at Northridge Hospital Medical Center voted 381-108 last week to join the Service Employees International Union Nurse Alliance, the Los Angeles Times reports. The results of the vote, which was supervised by the National Labor Relations Board, were made public yesterday; nurses were told of the outcome on Friday. Nurses will organize a "bargaining team" over the next few weeks to begin negotiations with management on a labor contract. During negotiations, the nurses' union will address issues including staffing levels, wages and benefits. "We really respect their decision, and the hospital will continually work in a positive and collaborative manner with SEIU," Teddi Grant, the hospital's director of marketing, said. SEIU is the largest health care union in the country, representing more than 110,000 nurses nationwide, including 35,000 in California (Park, Los Angeles Times, 9/25).