United Health Professionals win court round to bargain with SRMC

The United Health Professionals of New Mexico won a court round earlier this month when New Mexico Judicial District Court Judge Joshua Allison issued an order denying a request by the University of New Mexico Sandoval Regional Medical Center to stay the union’s request to bargain.

UHPNM won the right to form a union more than two years ago but has not been able to negotiate a contract with UNM Sandoval. UHPNM filed a suit asking the court to compel the hospital to bargain.

An effort to unionize health-care workers at UNM Sandoval Regional Medical Center became official in 2022.

The move to form the public employee union was a joint effort by the American Federation of Teachers New Mexico and the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers Lodge #794.

Leading the way for the health care workers is Adrienne Enghouse, who was then a nurse at SRMC.

In May 2022, the unions filed to form the United Health Professionals of New Mexico with the New Mexico Public Employee Labor Relations Board.

“We have filed for our recognition,” Enghouse said in 2022. “And we are just waiting for them to confirm that we have a majority. At that point, we will sit down and negotiate a contract. Today is about celebrating that landmark event.”

More than two years later, UHPNM and UNM SRMC are still without a contract and UHPNM says that SRMC leadership has been refusing to negotiate for months.

“Nurses and other health care professionals need a voice at the bargaining table so that issues that directly affect patients are dealt with, including improving staffing levels, seriously facing safety concerns and raising wages to retain and recruit talented professionals,” said Enghouse, the union’s lead organizer. “UNM Sandoval is constantly wasting hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars to fight the workers, who are simply trying to improve patient care.

“Every day that UNM Sandoval refuses to meet at the table is another day that places patients and community members in jeopardy. Quality patient care is the union’s bottom line, and it’s unconscionable that the hospital is fighting us every step of the way to ensure safe conditions,” she added

Allison ruled that the medical center did not properly make its request for a stay of UHPNM’s request to bargain and denied the hospital’s request. He noted that the medical center has since brought another request for a stay, for which he will rule when he makes his next order, which will determine whether UNM Sandoval must actually bargain unconditionally.

“UNM’s attorneys are currently reviewing the order by District Court Judge Joshua Allison,” UNM Health and Health Sciences Communications Director Chris Ramirez said. “UNM Sandoval Regional Medical Center – A Campus of UNM Hospital (SRMC) has always been a place where every team member is valued, staff and providers are treated respectfully, and quality patient care is a top priority.”