Almost 400 employees at Olympia Medical Center have voted with their feet to leave SEIU to work directly with the management of the hospital. Employees first removed the SEIU, and then chose not to unionize with the rival NUHW union, according to John Calderone, PhD, CEO, Olympia Medical Center.

“Our employees have decided that it is beneficial to work with a management team who have earned their trust, and to pursue the joint objective of advancing Olympia’s mission of providing quality care and service excellence,” Dr. Calderone said. “We will continue to develop our partnership with our employees in enhancing the patients’ experience by working directly with all our professional, non-nursing staff, clinics and our many dedicated staff, who value their relationship with the hospital’s leadership.”

The decision does not affect the RN union, but the hospital’s LVNs, monitor technicians, unit secretaries and surgical technicians are now union free.