Effect of NLRB rulings on collective bargaining by hospital pharmacists

The implications for hospital pharmacists of recent National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) rulings are discussed. The history of hospital coverage under federal labor laws is reviewed, including the removal of the exemption of nonprofit hospitals from the Taft-Hartley Act in 1974. Also discussed is the ruling of the NLRB in the case of Mercy Hospitals of Sacramento wherein appropriate bargaining units of hospital workers were defined. Finally, the question of exclusive bargaining units for hospital pharmacists, as addressed in NLRB rulings in the Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and San Jose Hospital and Medical Center cases, is reviewed. Apparently, the NLRB did not rule in favor of exclusive hospital pharmacist units primarily because of an insufficient history of such units. Although there are inconsistencies in the NLRB's rulings in Mercy Hospitals and San Jose, it is unlikely that the policy expressed in these cases will be changed in the near future.