Nurses aides and other auxiliary workers at Danbury and New Milford hospitals have voted not to form a union. The tally for either side was not announced, but the AFT union said it was a narrow margin.
Daniel DeBarba, the president of Danbury Hospital and vice president of New Milford Hospital, issued a statement after the result was known Friday night:
We are pleased with the outcome of today’s vote. We are committed to continuing to build an environment of respect and open communication with employees, and this process has provided an opportunity to have a robust dialogue with our staff. We look forward to implementing some new initiatives and best practices that will better serve our employees and patients. Our employees are the heart and soul of our organization, and we are extremely proud of the work they do every single day to provide exceptional care to our patients.
The vote came after a lengthy and contentious organizing campaign. It was sparked by a decision by management to cut pay for night and weekend hours.
AFT accused the hospital network of intimidation tactics during the organizing drive, and it brought a case before the National Labor Relations Board.
Union spokesman Matt O’Connor told WNPR they’ll continue to pursue that case, despite the vote. “These workers’ rights were infringed," he said. "We have pending charges that the federal labor board is investigating, so we’re going to see that process through. It’s important both for justice for the workers, and it’s also important I think to the workers that they see them resolved.”
The union already represents nurses and some other technicians at the two hospitals.
