NLRB rules in favor of MNA

New Moakley Building to be part of MNA bargaining unit

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) recently ruled that all the registered nurse positions to be established at Boston Medical Center’s new Moakley building will be part of the MNA bargaining unit. The $96 million Moakley building will provide a centralized location for same-day cancer treatment in addition to other types of same-day surgeries.

In 1996, Boston City Hospital and Boston University Medical Center merged into the Boston Medical Center. The nurses at the BU Medical Center were represented by the MNA. The nurses at Boston City Hospital were represented by the Service Employee International Union. As part of the merger, the two separate nursing bargaining units were left intact. When the new Moakley building was nearing completion, the question arose as to which nurses’ union would have jurisdiction over the nurses working in the new building. Hospital management filed a petition with the NLRB requesting the NLRB make the decision to clarify which union would represent the RNs working in the Moakley building.

“The vast majority of these nursing positions are now held by nurses in our bargaining unit,” said Ann Driscoll, RN and chairperson of the MNA’s bargaining unit at the BMC. “We look forward to seeing our unit stay whole and are thankful that the NLRB recognized the validity of our claims.”

The NLRB decision, which was issued in late May, stated that “the Moakley building RNs, a vast majority of whom will be transferees from the MNA bargaining unit, constitute a proper accretion to the MNA unit. Any RN assigned to work in the Moakley building on a permanent, regular basis will be a MNA bargaining unit member.”

According to Roland Goff, director of MNA’s department of labor action, this ruling had been expected. “When the NLRB found that 41 of the 44 RNs transferred to the Moakley building were from our bargaining unit there was really no other conclusion they could reach. The board was clear that the RNs in the Moakley building shared a community of interest with those nurses in the MNA University campus unit.”

“We have always viewed ourselves as a family as much as a bargaining unit. The decision was correct because these are our jobs and our family will stay together,” added Driscoll.