Dramatic Las Vegas Vote by RNs ...(anie Sisson RN. [SEIUPresident] Andy St...),Health

"At first I was very reluctant to meet with NNOC because I was with SEIU. But all it took was three membership meetings with NNOC to convince me I was with the wrong union," said Rowena Smith, RN.

"We accomplished so much in just 10 weeks, it's exciting," said Alaiyo Taylor, RN.

Once the final outcome is determined, the RNs said they are confident they will join with 10,500 other RNs represented by CNA/NNOC at 27 other hospitals which, like St. Rose Dominican, are part of the Catholic Healthcare West system.

They will also join Nevada RNs from Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center in Reno, another CHW hospital, where nurses voted to join CNA/NNOC in December and are currently making rapid progress on negotiating their first contract.

Just as the Reno election was a significant factor in the Las Vegas vote, other Nevada RNs have been monitoring the campaign at St. Rose Dominican, and many are already in contact with CNA/NNOC about also joining, citing similar displeasure with SEIU contracts and a desire for more effective representation.

Under their SEIU contract, St. Rose RNs fell up to 263 percent behind CNA/NNOC contracts in monthly pension benefits and 25 percent behind hourly pay rates at comparable CHW hospitals in San Bernardino, Calif., even though the cost of living in San Bernardino is 4.5 percent lower than in Las Vegas.

Local 1107 has also been the subject of substantial controversy that includes a Department of Labor investigation into charges that the local used employer funds and money from an Ohio SEIU local to rig an election of local leadership, as well as other practices that many RNs say reflect an undemocra
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