Joe Biden backs Mission Hospital nurses' unionizing effort
Mackenzie WickerASHEVILLE - Former Vice President Joe Biden has voiced his support for registered nurses' efforts to unionize at Mission Hospital.
The 2020 Democratic presidential candidate issued a statement on the evening of Aug. 25 congratulating the RNs on their ongoing campaign to join National Nurses United, the nation's largest nurses’ union.
"I’m proud to stand by the Mission RNs in their collective bid for a better, safer, and more equitable workplace — an impressive show of solidarity not just for themselves, but for the health of their entire community," said Biden.
On March 6, nurses petitioned the National Labor Relations Board for a union election. After months of delays, mail ballots were sent out Aug. 18. Votes will be tallied Sept. 16. Unionizing would give nurses bargaining power over benefits and more say over workplace standards.
More:After long wait, Mission nurses' union election day and details set
"I’ve said it before, and I mean it: if there are angels in heaven, they’re nurses," Biden said. "We owe an immense debt of gratitude to these heroes, who get up and fight on the front lines of this pandemic each and every day with humility and compassion. They put their lives on the line when they clock in, and that’s enough to bear without the threat of unsafe conditions — exacerbated by the Trump Administration’s failure to take steps needed to keep workers safe."
Biden is not the first Democratic leader to back unionization at Mission Hospital. In February, then-presidential hopeful Senator Bernie Sanders applauded the campaign.
The vice president's statement comes on the heels of an Aug. 24 visit to Western North Carolina by his opponent, President Donald Trump. While billed as a White House event, Trump's visit on the first day of the Republican National Convention had many trappings of a campaign event with 1,000 supporters lining up to hear remarks of the president.
Biden responded with a campaign move of his own, putting forth new details on how he plans to turn the state blue this November.
A swing state, North Carolina — with its 15 Electoral College votes — is expected to be a battleground in the upcoming election.
NNU's complaint, Mission's response
Biden's support for Mission unionization also comes a day after the RNs' would-be union called on the federal Occupational Health and Safety Administration to inspect all HCA-owned-and-operated hospitals and issue citations for “willful violation” of workplace safety hazards, which NNU said “could reasonably be expected to cause death or serious physical harm,” according to a release from the union.
HCA-owned Mission Health operates six hospitals and numerous clinics in Western North Carolina. Mission Hospital was among 17 HCA facilities cited in NNU's complaint as having been affected by "dangerous conditions."
In its call to OSHA, NNU urged the organization to seek a federal court injunction ordering HCA to immediately abate any dangerous conditions. In their release, the union cited failures to notify workers when they’ve been exposed to COVID-19 and pushing those who are or may be COVID-19 positive but not showing active symptoms to continue working.
Mission Health spokeswoman Nancy Lindell responded to the accusations levied by NNU in an email, saying that the system has been following CDC guidance in its testing of patients and employees and that NNU has "chosen to use this pandemic as an opportunity to gain publicity by attacking hospitals across the country."
A string of complaints
NNU's complaint to OSHA follows a string of others made by Mission employees and representatives of the union. Most recently, three staff members voiced concerns over a policy of not testing all elective surgery patients for COVID-19, which they said creates a concerning exposure risk.
For subscribers:Mission exposes staff to COVID-19, doesn't test all elective surgery patients: nurse
Since the early days of the pandemic, Mission workers have decried conditions they perceive as unsafe.
In early April, hundreds of Mission Hospital nurses signed a petition asking the system to better prepare for COVID-19 through additional training and communication. In July and August, RNs also called for more staff and other patient safety measures as COVID-19 hospitalizations rose.
In response to complaints about low staffing, Mission spokespersons have accused NNU of stoking anxieties and creating conflict as part of a union campaign "aimed at undermining the hospital’s reputation in the community."
Lindell said this week that, "since the onset of this pandemic, (Mission's) focus has been to protect our colleagues so they can best care for our patients."
"Our caregivers have shown unwavering commitment, and our efforts to protect them have included screening and testing, universal masking, contact tracing and notification and other safeguards, in line with guidance from the CDC," she said. "We’re proud of our response and the significant resources we’ve deployed to help protect our colleagues."
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Mackenzie Wicker covers growth, development and healthcare for the Asheville Citizen Times. You can reach her at mwicker@citizentimes.com or follow her on Twitter @MackWick.
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