1 week Ago By By Debbie Kelley [email protected]
Sixty-four of 91 physicians and other advanced practitioners who work for Peak Vista Community Health Centers based in Colorado Springs cast ballots about whether they wanted to join the Union of American Physicians and Dentists. A majority of 49 providers said “yes” during a mail-in ballot process that began more than a month ago. Fifteen voted “no,” and 10 ballots were left uncounted as Peak Vista questioned the validity of the signatures, according to the National Labor Relations Board, an independent federal agency that released the final count Thursday.
Because the 10 challenged votes did not affect the margin of victory of the remaining ballots counted, union officials did not counter the decision, said Andrew Guttman, who lives in Boulder and works as a representative of the California-headquartered union. "Now that the union is in place, it is time for Peak Vista providers and administrators to come forward together with truly open dialogue,” Dr. Heather Welfare, a pediatrician at Peak Vista, said in a statement.
“We want an environment where professionals feel safe not only sharing our concerns but our ideas on how to improve the organization.” However, Peak Vista, the region's largest health care provider that operates 21 clinics for low-income, uninsured and indigent clients, is appealing the outcome and “will not recognize or bargain with the union until there is a final decision,” according to an internal email top administrators sent Thursday to employees. “Our position remains that we believe all providers should have a say on the important question of whether to unionize as it impacts the entire environment of care,” Dr.
Emily Ptaszek, president and CEO of Peak Vista Community Health Centers, said via email Friday. “As we work through ongoing issues surrounding this election, our primary focus will continue to be strengthening the relationship with our providers,” she said. “We are committed to ensuring we come out of this process stronger as an organization to best fulfill our mission and the needs of the patients we serve.
” Dr. Stuart Bussey, president of the Union of American Physicians and Dentists called the vote “is a win not only for the providers but also for the patients of Peak Vista Community Health Centers.” In a statement he said, “We look forward to collaborating with Peak Vista leadership to negotiate a fair contract that recognizes the value of our providers and their patients.
Our objective is to ensure the continuity of delivering high-quality, essential healthcare services to the residents of Colorado Springs and the surrounding communities.” The appeal will delay the union’s ability to begin contract bargaining sessions, Guttman said, adding that he is confident the vote to unionize will stand. “It’s the same (issue) they raised in September, and the labor board ruled it wasn’t legitimate then,” he said, when the union sought approval from the labor board to conduct an election on whether Peak Vista employees wanted to unionize.
“They’re just trying to slow things down,” Guttman said. Some Peak Vista employees last year contacted the Union of American Physicians and Dentists, which has more than 7,000 members across the nation, after administrators enacted new requirements that decreased time spent with patients and increased work schedules. After five doctors were terminated in July and August, employees claimed that retaliatory, punitive measures were being taken against some top-level providers, which include doctors, physicians’ assistants, nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, psychiatrists and psychiatric nurse practitioners.
Employees filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board in August, listing 18 charges of labor law violations and received a response last month ruling that the five doctors were wrongfully fired. Peak Vista disputes those findings as well, with Ptaszek telling The Gazette last month that the decision “is not a determination of wrongdoing by Peak Vista but rather their announcement of a decision to take the case to trial,” adding, “Peak Vista is confident that it will prevail once it is allowed to present the facts to a judge.” The ongoing issue has been contentious to the point of being unusual, Guttman said.
“Most employers do not want their employees to unionize, so we expect pushback,” he said. “The amount of pushback and the obliviousness of Peak Vista in their form of pushback has been kind of extraordinary. Most employers are more sophisticated; Peak Vista has chosen blunt instruments including breaking the law to try to suppress unionizing.
This is a pretty extraordinary level of influence.” The National Labor Relations Board has not officially been certified. The process usually takes about seven business days, Ptaszek said.
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