ST. JOSEPH NURSES VOTING IN UNION ELECTION THIS WEEK

  

Nurses at St. Joseph Health are voting this week in an election to potentially unionize.

The election taking place tomorrow (Tuesday) and Wednesday will determine if the St. Joseph nursing staff will join National Nurses United, which has over 225,000 members nationwide.

Supporters of unionization efforts say doing so will lead to better resources and protections for staff and give nurses more say in decisions that affect them in the workplace, while also improving the care that patients receive. 

However, opponents worry that a union could negatively impact the hospital system’s financial stability, presenting concerns about reductions to staffing or services offered. 

St. Joseph Health is a member of CommonSpirit Health and has a network of five hospitals, including in Bryan, College Station, Caldwell, Navasota and Madisonville.

Voting will occur at each of the five hospital locations, and after the election concludes, ballots will be counted on Wednesday at the Bryan location. 

KWHI reached out to St. Joseph Health for comment on the vote.  Communications Manager Tracy Bates said they are currently in a “quiet period” before the vote and cannot make any statements at this time, but will be able to do so once the election ends.