A federal court has ordered Greenbrier Valley Medical (GVMC) to stop blocking a democratic vote by nurses, recognize the nurses’ right to join a union and bargain with them for a first collective bargaining agreement.
The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals issued the order on July 18 to GVMC and Bluefield Regional Medical Center (BRMC), both owned by Community Health Systems (CHS).
Earlier in the month, the National Labor Relations Board found merit to a number of charges brought by National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United against the Bluefield and Fairlea hospitals.
The NLRB asks that GVMC restore relief charge nurse duties that were allegedly unlawfully removed. A public hearing for GVMC is set to begin Sept.19 at an as-yet unannounced site.
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A 10-person crew of volunteers from Kansas arrived in West Virginia in late July to repair the Greenbrier River Trail north of Caldwell. Thanks to their help, a portion of the trail, closed due to flood-related washouts and landslides, opened on Friday, July 29.
The trail remains closed from its southern terminus near Caldwell to a point 3.5 miles to the north, where a temporary parking lot provides access to the 3.5-mile stretch of trail that reopened on July 29. North of Anthony, the trail is open to Cass, giving trail users about 65 miles of uninterrupted riding and hiking.
The seven man, three woman Kansas trail repair team was led by two state park superintendents and included seasonal staffers and AmeriCorps workers who volunteered for the detail, the Charleston Gazette reported.
The Kansas trail crew, which departed for home last week, stayed at Cass Scenic Railroad State Park, with Kansas State Parks paying for meals. During their stay, the crew also visited Beartown, Watoga and Droop Mountain Battlefield state parks.