UnityPoint nurses at 4 Iowa hospitals seek union election

Nurses working at UnityPoint Health hospitals in Des Moines, Iowa, are moving forward with their effort to form a union with Teamsters Local 90 after the system declined to voluntarily recognize the proposed union, the Des Moines Register reported Aug. 20.

The National Labor Relations Board provides various paths to forming a union. According to its website, the NLRB will conduct an election if at least 30% of workers sign cards or a petition indicating their support for unionization. Workers would then vote on whether to unionize. Employers may also voluntarily recognize a union based on signed union-authorization cards.

Nurses from four UnityPoint Health hospitals — Blank Children’s Hospital, Iowa Lutheran Hospital, Iowa Methodist Medical Center and Methodist West Hospital — recently requested voluntary recognition of Teamsters Local 90 as their bargaining representative. UnityPoint Health has denied that request. 

“Teamsters Local 90 presented UnityPoint Health leadership with a demand to voluntarily recognize their union as the bargaining representative for some nurses in Des Moines,” the health system said in a statement shared with Becker’s. “While we respect our nurses’ right to seek or reject outside representation, we believe that recognizing a union based on a claim of support from a segment of the nursing team is not the best way forward. 

“This type of choice should be made in a way that protects each nurse’s right to a private, fully informed decision, and we believe that can only occur through standard election processes guided by the National Labor Relations Board. If an election is called, we encourage all eligible nurses to vote and make their voices heard.”

Nurses have also filed a petition with the NLRB seeking an election, said Alex Wilken, a critical care nurse, according to the Register. 

If an election is held and nurses vote to unionize, the Teamsters local would represent about 2,000 nurses in Des Moines, according to the report.

Nurses began their unionization effort in November 2024, citing their desire for competitive wages, safe staffing levels and affordable health insurance.
“We don’t need people who haven’t worked at the bedside for years making decisions about us,” said Sammi Ladd, an ICU nurse at Methodist, according to the Register. “I am calling on our community, the same community that we have relentlessly cared for day and night for decades, to please stand with us. Please fight and advocate for us as we have done for you for many years.”

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