Palomar Pomerado Health District Nurses Picket For Union Representation

As expected, nearly 200 pro-union nurses in the Palomar Pomerado Health district picketed in front Palomar Medical Center yesterday to call attention to the district's "refusal to recognize" the nurses' representation by the California Nurses Association, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. Ted Cahill, a CNA organizer, said that the group has collected signatures on sign-up cards from more than 50% of the 575 district nurses (San Diego Union-Tribune, 3/22). A law (AB 1281) that took effect Jan. 1 allows union supporters to simply gather signatures of a majority of nurses to approve unionization, removing the need for an election (California Healthline, 2/5). But district officials said last month that they will not honor the results of the signature campaign, prompting pro-union nurses to say that system officials are trying to intimidate nurses (California Healthline, 2/7). Palomar Pomerado Health district officials say that the number of nurses eligible to vote for union representation is only 400 and that several of those who have given their signatures are in management positions and therefore ineligible for the union (San Diego Union-Tribune, 3/22).