On Dec. 20, 2011, the two unions representing workers at Riverside Community Hospital, UHW and Local 121RN, filed a “dispute resolution” action to management to help us resolve the security issues at RCH, specifically asking the hospital to release restrictions on employees access.

I want to bring you up to date on the progress.

SEIU Attorney Nicole Berner has been in contact with HCA Attorney Kevin Smith in an attempt to resolve lockdown issues. Ms. Berner requested that Mr. Smith attend a meeting at RCH with members of the two unions. Our understanding as per HR was that Mr. Smith agreed to meet on January 19 or 20. This meeting never took place and we were told that, “Mr. Smith was unavailable that week and no new date to meet was discussed."

The Unions have been in constant contact with HR and our SEIU Attorney in an attempt to schedule meetings and resolve this issue. On Jan. 26, after much discussion, UHW and Local 121RN decided to file an Unfair Labor Practice complaint with the National Labor Relations Board. This is a formal written complaint against RCH for refusing to meet and discuss the issues regarding security. The NLRB will notify RCH of the formal complaint then monitor RCH’s response to meet and resolve this complaint.

I will continue to update you as the ULP is filed and RCH’s response.

Thank you for your patience through this process. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.

Donna M. Sigaty, RN SEIU Local 121RN Field Representative