Hundreds of registered nurses and healthcare professionals at The George Washington University Hospital are seeking a vote to remove District of Columbia Nurses Association (DCNA) union officials from representing them, according to an April 17 announcement. Nurse Elizabeth Abraha, with support from her colleagues, submitted a petition for union decertification to the National Labor Relations Board on April 15, assisted by staff attorneys from the National Right to Work Legal Defense and Education Foundation.
The petition is supported by signatures from hundreds of hospital employees, exceeding the threshold required for the labor board to schedule a decertification election. The requested vote would include all full-time, regular part-time, and PRN registered nurses as well as specialists in various departments.
In Washington, D.C., employees do not have Right to Work protections that make union membership voluntary. This means DCNA officials can require workers like Abraha and her coworkers to pay dues as a condition of employment. In neighboring states such as Virginia where Right to Work laws exist, all financial support for unions is strictly voluntary.
The National Labor Relations Board will review the petition before deciding whether an election will be held. If most voting employees choose against continued representation by DCNA officials, those officials would lose their exclusive bargaining rights over nearly 700 nurses and healthcare professionals at GWU Hospital.
Abraha said: “Two years ago, DCNA union officials made all kinds of promises to my coworkers and me. They have not only failed to deliver on them but have driven a wedge between a lot of my coworkers. We want to exercise our right to vote this union out, and both DCNA union officials and GWU Hospital management should respect our free choice.”
Foundation staff attorneys have previously helped groups of hospital employees in Minnesota remove unwanted unions since 2022. These include several units at Mayo Clinic branches in Mankato, St. James, and Fairmont; they also provided legal notices during recent high-profile strikes involving Teamsters in Michigan and New York State Nurses Association members in New York City-area hospitals.
This year alone Foundation attorneys aided more than 300 Windham Community Memorial Hospital workers in Connecticut with removing American Federation of Teachers representation.
Mark Mix said: “Healthcare professionals at GWU Hospital may feel, as do many healthcare workers who are subject to union control, that union officials haven’t stood up for their interests and have only served as a distraction from providing quality patient care… They will fight to ensure that Ms. Abraha and hundreds of her colleagues who provide indispensable care…have a free and fair opportunity…”
The National Right to Work Legal Defense and Education Foundation works on protecting employee rights regarding compulsory unionism through litigation efforts according to its official website. The organization also provides free legal assistance aimed at safeguarding worker rights against mandatory fees as noted on its site. Its focus remains labor rights advocacy according to the foundation’s blog.
