Cayuga Nurses’ Union Fights Back Against Unlawful Abuse of Power

Cayuga Medical Center alleged to violate labor laws, interfering with nurses’ union rights

ITHACA, N.Y. — On Monday, the Communications Workers of America (CWA) union filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against Cayuga Medical Center for violating federal labor law and the rights of CMC nurses who have formed a union, Cayuga United-CWA.

On Friday, December 5, CMC managers held a captive audience meeting, an abuse of employer power that violates federal labor law. Federal labor law protects a worker’s right to freely decide whether, when, and how to participate in a debate concerning union representation or refrain from doing so. When an employer requires workers to attend an anti-union meeting, the employer’s economic power over the worker is coercive and inhibits free debate.

At CMC, a captive audience meeting was held during a mandatory meeting. A department director read a script of anti-union messaging that was purportedly prepared by the CMC legal department. Workers were reprimanded for speaking up to share their support for their union.

“By holding captive audience, anti-union meetings, Cayuga Medical Center has not respected the right of its nurses to freely organize,” said CWA District 1 Vice President Dennis Trainor. “CMC nurses are the heart of the Ithaca community and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect when they speak out to improve working conditions.”

Last week, Cayuga United-CWA petitioned for union recognition after a supermajority of eligible nurses signed union authorization cards, indicating their desire to form a union with CWA. Cayuga United-CWA has requested voluntary recognition from hospital management, which is an NLRB-recommended pathway for employers to establish a positive relationship with their union employees. The union has also filed a petition to request a union election overseen by the NLRB.

Nurses are organizing because of deteriorating conditions that impact both their working conditions and patient care. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses have seen increasing short staffing that can leave them caring for an unsustainable number of patients, compromising patient care and worker safety. Cayuga United-CWA represents more than 350 registered nurses at Cayuga Medical Center.

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About CWA: The Communications Workers of America represents working people in telecommunications, customer service, media, airlines, health care, public service and education, manufacturing, tech, and other fields.

cwa-union.org @cwaunion