AHA files brief with NLRB seeking to uphold longstanding bargaining rule for hospitals

The AHA filed an amicus brief July 29 with the National Labor Relations Board, urging the NLRB to uphold its longstanding Health Care Rule. This regulation determines the scope of bargaining units in acute care hospitals. The AHA filed its brief in support of Essentia Health, following a decision by an NLRB regional director holding that a bargaining unit consisting only of advanced practice providers across a provider’s acute care hospitals and health clinics is allowed. The AHA argues that the regional director erred because the existing NLRB Health Care Rule applies to bargaining within acute care hospitals, not across systems. In addition, the AHA said that changes to the rule to allow non-acute care hospitals must be made through notice-and-comment rulemaking rather than adjudication.