Palomar Pomerado Health District Nurses Vote to Join California Nurses Association

The California Nurses Association will represent 546 of the 600 nurses in the Palomar Pomerado Health district after a majority of the nurses approved the move in a vote this week, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. Mediation and Conciliation Services officials yesterday conducted a count of signed certification cards, which "was halted yesterday after it was established that 50% plus one of the nurses" had voted in favor of CNA representation (Berhman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6/7). Under a new state law (AB 1281) that took effect Jan. 1, supporters can gather signatures of a majority of nurses to approve unionization, rather than hold an election (California Healthline, 2/5). Palomar Pomerado officials in February had threatened not to accept the results of a signature campaign as part of an ongoing debate with the CNA over union representation (California Healthline, 2/7). "For our patients, we believe [unionization] will give us the opportunity, through a more effective collective voice, to enhance the quality of care they deserve," Pam Moehlenhof, a critical care nurse at the Palomar Medical Center, said. The CNA will not represent about 50 supervisory nurses in Palomar Pomerado's two hospitals, the Palomar Medical Center and Pomerado Hospital in Poway. The unionized nurses will next select a team to represent them in contract negotiations with Palomar Pomerado officials, the Union-Tribune reports (San Diego Union-Tribune, 6/7).