Around 1,800 healthcare workers at Mission Hospitals are now represented by National Nurses United. In a press release, 鈥渢he largest hospital union victory in the South since 1975.鈥� Seventy percent of the ballots cast were in favor of union representation at two Asheville-based health facilities owned by HCA Healthcare.
Previously nonprofit, Mission was acquired by for-profit chain HCA in February 2019, following a nationwide trend towards consolidation in the healthcare industry. Since then, concerns arose among staff and community members about facilities鈥� decreasing staff-to-patient ratios and quality of patient care. In March, before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses formally petitioned the National Labor Relations Board to unionize. Asheville Citizen-Times reporter talks with host Frank Stasio about the nurses鈥� reasons for collective bargaining power.
