A state district court has ruled that the University of New Mexico Sandoval Regional Medical Center (SRMC) violated the legal bargaining rights of the United Health Professionals of New Mexico (UHPNM).
District Court Judge Elaine Lujan upheld findings by the Public Employee Labor Relations Board that SRMC failed to bargain over a proposed reduction in force after the union’s formal demand. The court also found that SRMC did not respond to lawful information requests regarding the reduction and unilaterally changed job duties of bargaining-unit employees without notice or negotiation.
Regina McGinnis, RN, president of the union, said the hospital’s violations are not mere procedural technicalities but clear and deliberate breaches of labor law.
“This ruling should shut the door on the hospital’s campaign to avoid bargaining in good faith and silence its workers,” McGinnis said. “Its refusal to follow basic legal obligations under labor law is not only unethical but dangerous for workers and the patients they serve.”
After more than two years of public feuding, SRMC and members of the union representing nurses at the hospital ratified a labor contract in November.
“UNM Hospital respects the recent decision from the District Court regarding a complaint from 2023. Since acquiring UNM Sandoval Regional Medical Center in 2024, UNM Hospital has bargained with and entered into collective bargaining agreements with two labor organizations, including most recently UHPNM,” said Chris Ramirez, UNMH Director of Communications. “UNM Hospital is committed to working with its labor partners to ensure that it fulfills its mandate to the community by providing high-quality patient care. UNM Hospital looks forward to continuing this dialogue with its labor partners.”
UHPNM is now reviewing the Public Employee Labor Relations Board’s remedy and considering further legal action. McGinnis cited the hospital’s “retaliatory charges against union leaders, secret restructuring efforts and ongoing refusal to share critical employment information” as ongoing concerns about SRMC’s compliance with the law.
“This is a public hospital, funded by public dollars, and there must be public accountability,” McGinnis said.
The union called on the community, elected officials and healthcare professionals to ensure the violations are not disregarded.