Rio Rancho hospital violated workers’ rights, judge rules

Management at a hospital in Rio Rancho violated workers’ labor rights by refusing to bargain over a series of layoffs in 2023, a state district court judge ruled this week.

Second Judicial District Court Judge Elaine Lujan issued a ruling on Tuesday upholding an earlier order by the state Public Employee Labor Relations Board, which found that the University of New Mexico Sandoval Regional Medical Center breached its legal duty to bargain with the union who represents workers there.

Through a prohibited practices complaint in May 2023, the United Health Professionals of New Mexico alleged the hospital had begun laying off more than a dozen workers.

That October, the Board’s hearing officer concluded that management broke the law by refusing to bargain over the layoffs, failing to respond to requests for information about the layoffs and implementing unilateral changes to some workers’ duties.

The Board in February 2024 adopted the hearing officer’s recommendations, and the hospital appealed the decision to Lujan, whose decision this week sided with PELRB.

“This ruling should shut the door on the hospital’s campaign to avoid bargaining in good faith and silence its workers,” UHPNM President and physical therapy Regina McGinnis said in a statement on Wednesday. “Its refusal to follow basic legal obligations under labor law is not only unethical but dangerous for workers and the patients they serve.”

UNM Health System Communications Director Chris Ramirez told Source NM on Wednesday that UNM Hospital respects the ruling.

“Since acquiring UNM Sandoval Regional Medical Center in 2024, UNM Hospital has bargained with and entered into collective bargaining agreements with two labor organizations, including most recently UHPNM,” Ramirez said in a statement. “UNM Hospital is committed to working with its labor partners to ensure that it fulfills its mandate to the community by providing high-quality patient care. UNM Hospital looks forward to continuing this dialogue with its labor partners.”

According to a news release, UHPNM is currently reviewing the Public Employee Labor Relations Board’s remedy “to determine whether the employer has complied or whether further legal action is required,” and noted ongoing “serious concerns” about the hospital’s compliance given its past behavior.

“This is a public hospital, funded by public dollars, and there must be public accountability,” McGinnis said. “Health care workers deserve more than empty apologies and legal delays. They deserve respect and a lawful seat at the table.”