Judge rules against Enloe

One year ago the hospital changed the voluntary call policy in the maternity unit to a mandatory on-call system. The California Nurses Association, which has represented the RNs since the nurses organized in 2001, filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board in August.

In a press release, the CNA said Enloe management refused to bargain on the matter. The judge ordered management to stop the practice, post the decision and begin bargaining with the union.

The judge also ruled management could not prevent nurses from discussing working conditions with other employees.

“We are ready to negotiate,” David Welch, an Enloe RN and member of the team that negotiated the first contract, said in the press release. “We have repeatedly tried to resolve this issue with Enloe administration in an amicable manner. They refused a settlement offer issued by the NLRB at the end of July. It’s time to close the chapter on this issue and work together to provide quality patient care to our community.”

Ann Prater, director of public relations for Enloe, said the ruling was “not unexpected,” and the hospital hopes to prevail in the appellate courts, which in the past have held different opinions from the NLRB on these issues.

“We believe the contract clearly says we were within our rights to make these policy changes,” Prater said. She said the hospital was having trouble getting coverage in the maternity ward and asked nurses to be on call for one four-hour shift per month.

She also said Enloe didn’t tell employees not to discuss working conditions; rather, they were told that "the general negative attitudes were adversely affecting their employees."