The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA or “the Act”) requires unions representing employees in the health care industry to provide written notice to the employer ten days prior to any strike.  When a union provides the required notice, employers are permitted to poll employees to determine whether they plan to participate in the strike.  These polls, though unlawful in other industries, are allowed in the health care industry so that affected employers may make alternative staffing arrangements in order to avoid disruptions in patient care.  In Special Touch Home Care Services, Inc., 357 NLRB No. 2 (2011), the Board recently held that an employer violated the Act when it disciplined employees who responded to a lawful poll by indicating that they would work during a strike, but who then participated in the strike without providing any notice to the employer.   This decision appears to substantially undercut the effectiveness of the polling process available to employers in the health care industry.  The decision also reinforces that employers in all industries will be required to present individualized evidence of specific harms before they will be allowed to discipline employees for striking without notice.

Continue reading this blog entry on Littler's Health Care blog, www.healthcareemploymentcounsel.com