NLRB sides with Asian/American nurses fired from California hospital

Nurses Vicki Lin and Aliysha Almada.

THE NATIONAL Labor Relations Board (NLRB) agreed Jan. 29 with two Asian/American nurses who filed a complaint against their former employer, Huntington Hospital, claiming they were fired for their efforts to unionize.

The decision by the NLRB means that Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena, California must now reach an agreement with Allysha Almada and Vicki Lin, or the NLRB will file a formal complaint that could result in a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge.

“Thank you Huntington Nurses for all your support over the past few months. It took a while to get here, but finally, justice has been served! I’m ready to go back to work and help us all gain the job security we deserve!" said Almada.

The hospital sounds like it is prepared to let the NLRB process proceed.

“We stand by our decision and course of actions — and believe they are in accordance with employment laws, our employment practices and in the best interests of maintaining patient safety and providing the highest quality of patient care,” said Derek Clark, Huntington Hospital’s spokesman.

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Almada and Lin say they want to be reinstated with backpay for the months they spent without work. The two women were fired in August last year. 

In October 2015, Almada took her fight to the national level when she was invited to Washington D.C. to participate in the White House Summit on Worker Voice, where she met with President Obama and Sen. Bernie Sanders.

"Firing workers because they choose to exercise their collective bargaining rights is not only appalling, but, as the NLRB decision shows, is also an egregious violation of federal labor laws," said Rep. Judy Chu, who supported the efforts of the nurses. 


“What happened to me can happen to anyone," said Lin. "We need union representation to protect our rights along with our patients. Nurses need job protection. We need someone to advocate for us.” 

For more news about Asian/Americans & Pacific Islanders, read AsAm News.

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