Nurses Association Fights for Contract With Hospital
Officials at Community Medical Center in Fresno on Monday said the hospital does not plan to negotiate a contract with the California Nurses Association on behalf of nurses at another facility who will be transferred to the nonunion hospital on April 16, the Fresno Bee reports.
There are about 300 nurses represented by the CNA that will relocate to Community from University Medical Center in conjunction with the hospital's transfer of critical care services.
Community, which owns University Medical Center, in 2003 was ordered by a federal judge to negotiate a contract with CNA nurses at the medical center. However, a deal has not yet been reached, and negotiations have not taken place this year.
John Zelezny, spokesperson for Community, said the nurses' membership in the union will not carry over to their new positions at Community.
Don Nielsen, a CNA representative, said the union plans to continue representing the nurses at the new facility (Correa, Fresno Bee, 3/27).