A state labor board judge says before the union's formation in 2021, the hospital's CEO illegally wrote letters and emails discouraging workers from organizing.
STERLING, Ill. — A judge with the Illinois Labor Relations Board said CGH Medical Center violated state labor law by deterring employees from unionizing.
On March 28, Judge Anna Hamburg-Gal wrote that a "letter to the editor" penned by the hospital's CEO, Dr. Paul Steinke, discouraged, deterred and coerced employees from organized labor including instructing employees on how to revoke their union membership.
That letter remained on CGH's website from Dec. 20, 2019 to July 6, 2021, according to court documents.
Now, the judge has recommended the hospital stop "interfering" with the relationship between the CGH employees and the union. Eventually, the Illinois Labor Relations Board will approve or deny the recommendation.
CGH Medical System has 30 days from the judge's decision to file an exception.
CGH employees began organizing into a union in June 2019. It was formally certified within the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union on April 26, 2021.
Throughout those two years, workers allege the management at CGH frequently tried to put a stop to it.
"Leadership from the very beginning deterred people from the union," said Brandi Barron, an AFSCME organizer. "A lot of the talk was that you won't be able to talk directly with management or your supervisor if you have issues. Many people who...
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