The National Labor Relations Board has set a March 19 hearing for Trinity Health Grand Haven Hospital, alleging that hospital leaders threatened, coerced and intimidated union-represented workers and failed to bargain in good faith.
“By its overall conduct … (Trinity) has failed and refused to bargain in good faith,” Elizabeth Kerwin, director of the NLRB’s Region 7, wrote in an order issued Jan. 29. The upcoming hearing will be before an administrative law judge in Grand Rapids.
She ordered the health system to begin a collective bargaining schedule of at least 40 hours per month, with at least eight hours per session, until a complete agreement is reached with the Service Employees International Union or the two sides come to a good-faith impasse in negotiations.
She also wrote that the hospital administration must:
- Recognize the SEIU bargaining unit “as the exclusive collective-bargaining representative of the Certified Unit with respect to wages, hours and other terms and conditions of employment.”
- No longer restrain, coerce or interfere with workers conducting union activity and to stop “discriminating against employees in retaliation” for such activity.
- Restore lost wages, including back pay, to union workers who didn’t get raises awarded to unrepresented employees.
- Rescind disciplinary actions, attendance points, leave assessments and other adverse actions against each affected employee of the union.