Benefis Health System nurses to hold union vote

Nurses employed at Benefis Health System are interested in holding a vote on whether or not to form a union.

A majority of nurses indicated that on interest cards collected with the assistance of the Montana Nurses Association, said Vicky Byrd, executive director of the association.

“Benefis and the National Labor Relations Board have been notified and an election could be held as early as the end of March and no later than mid-April,” she said. “Now Benefis will provide a list of nurses they employ and that list will be verified.”

The election and vote counting will be held in a single day and is monitored by the National Labor Relations Board.

Benefis employs 844 registered nurses and 58 advanced practice registered nurses and is the largest group of RNs in Montana that is not unionized.

Talks with some Benefis nurses started about a year and a half ago, Byrd said. Some nurses are concerned that staffing levels are impacting patient safety.

Benefis Hospitals Vice President of Nursing Rayn Ginnaty said staffing is done using national benchmarks and points to favorable quality care ratings from national organizations.

“Providing safe, quality patient care is our top priority at Benefis,” she said. “Our primary focus is always our patients.”

In Montana, 31 hospitals, surgical centers and long-term care centers have local nurses’ unions, Byrd said. Dues are $62.80 a month and members receive collective bargaining assistance for issues such as wages and contracts, legal representation and professional development and continuing education.

“I am so proud of these nurses for standing up and speaking up about their concerns about patient care,” Byrd said of the Benefis nurses who helped organize the effort. “It takes a lot of courage to do that.”

“We respect our employees’ rights to exercise their right to vote for or against the union,” Ginnaty said. “We remain committed to educating our employees on what it means to be represented by a union and how the election process works.”