Downstroke

Hold that order: Enloe Medical Center has been ordered to bargain with a union voted in by housekeeping, dietary and service workers in April 2004.

The decision, handed down by a three-member panel of the National Labor Relations Board on Jan. 25, says Enloe is guilty of unfair labor practices for refusing to bargain with SEIU-United Healthcare Workers-West.

But Enloe officials say they have no intention of complying with the ruling, holding out instead for their day in appellate court, which may take a broader view than the NLRB. Enloe has contended that the board was wrong to certify the election, because of some mislabeled ballots and inexperienced NLRB agents administering the vote.

“[The ruling] is exactly the last piece that we were waiting for with the NLRB,” said Carol Linscheid, Enloe’s vice president of human relations. “I’d rather not be going to court. … If we could revote this election tomorrow, we’d do it.”

The ruling also ordered Enloe to post a notice at the hospital stating that Enloe “violated Federal labor law,” apprising employees of their union rights and pledging that the hospital will not refuse to bargain or interfere with union activities. Linscheid said Enloe’s understanding is it doesn’t have to post the notice because the case is being appealed.

Victory for hemp: The state Assembly passed on the to the Senate last week a bill that would allow California farmers to grow industrial hemp, a cousin of the marijuana plant that can be processed into a variety of consumer products.

The bill, AB1147, passed the assembly 41-30 with mainly Democrats in favor and Republicans opposing. The federal government still insists legalizing hemp is akin to legalizing marijuana, even though hemp contains only tiny traces of THC, which gives marijuana its psychoactive properties.

Prior to the reefer madness-inspired marihuana tax act of 1937, American farmers, including George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew huge amounts of hemp, which can be made into food products, cosmetics, clothing and other goods. The market for hemp products today is at least $270 million and is growing by $26 million a year, but U.S. farmers are prohibited from growing it. The Butte County Farm Bureau has unofficially endorsed the bill, but Assemblyman Rick Keene, R-Chico, opposes it.

BCEA workers get theirs: Butte County workers got what they were looking for this week when they were offered a compromise deal by county negotiators that changes the step system determining worker pay increases and tweaks the county/ worker split for paying health insurance costs.

The Butte County Employees Association (BCEA), which represents about 40 percent of the county work force, held out for the changes that should help senior employees get regular raises and newer hires pay less for health insurance. The union had twice protested the previous contract offer before the Board of Supervisors.

BCEA executive director Rudy Jenkins said he hopes the new, three-year contract will be ratified by a worker vote within the next few weeks.

“It just shows the process works,” he said. “This contract gives stability to both sides.”