Saint Francis nurses vote down union

Business Today

After a two-year campaign, registered nurses at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau overwhelmingly voted to reject the proposal to join the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 655.

The vote was held April 5.

Of the 387 registered nurses at Saint Francis, 76 voted yes and 281 voted against joining the Saint Louis-based union. Fifteen of the votes were challenged, and 15 registered nurses didn't vote.

Saint Francis president and CEO Steve Bjelich said he was pleased with the outcome.

"Our registered nurses made a strong statement," he said, noting that there was a 96 percent turnout. "It's been a long process and I'm glad it's over."

But union organizer Nick Trupiano said he thought the lopsided vote was questionable. Trupiano declined to elaborate, but said he would be consulting with union lawyers.

Bjelich said any concerns the union has should be directed toward the National Labor Review Board.

Pro-union nurses had said severe staffing shortages have hurt the quality of care at Saint Francis. While they acknowledged a national nursing shortage, they have said they thought a union could get the nurses better pay and benefits, which would draw more nurses and keep them from leaving for higher-paying jobs.

But that sentiment apparently was not nearly as strong as the organized anti-union nurses who maintained that they'd rather deal directly with management than pay others to do it.

The union had gotten 30 percent of the RNs at Saint Francis to sign blue cards initially that said there was union interest at the hospital.