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Abstract
Labor unions in the healthcare industry have been much in the news of late, particularly the emergence of large and well-funded nursing unions. There is a sense of urgency among nursing unions to organize nurses in large numbers, as well as an increased push to organize other groups of healthcare workers. In Boston Medical Center Corp, a significant decision in this industry that directly impacts the determination of an appropriate bargaining unit, the National Labor Relations Board overruled its prior decisions and held that interns, residents, and fellows were employees and, therefore, could engage in collective bargaining and select a labor organization to represent them. Perfect union contracts do not exist because individual needs and wants vary. If your healthcare facility finds itself on the other side of a union contract, remember that mutual respect is the key to successful negotiations and long-term relationships between unions and employers.