By Elizabeth Cloutman

Three of the five members of the El Camino Hospital District Board of Directors have urged service employees to resolve the question of whether the hospital becomes an agency shop among themselves, rather than forcing the board to decide for them. El Camino’s 855 service employees appear to be evenly divided on the issue.

Board members Dr. Edward Bough, Dave Reeder and Mark O’Connor spoke during the public hearing portion of the May 9 board meeting. Their comments came after a second mediation session between Service Employees International Union, Local 715 and hospital management, held two days earlier, apparently failed to make progress in reaching an agreement.

Neither five months of discussion between management and union negotiators nor bringing in a federal mediator has caused either side to yield on the issue.

“What I am for is that the vast majority of our employees be able to do what they want to do,” Bough said. “What I’m against is forcing down the throats of employees what they don’t want. The problem we … have is a very large segment that is on either side of the argument. I’d like to see both sides compromise.”

SEIU wants the hospital to become an agency shop, where all service employees, whether or not they are union members, will be required to pay about one percent of their annual income in union dues.

Management, on the other hand, said it would abide by the results of an election in which all hospital service employees could vote on whether El Camino should be an agency or open shop.

Four hundred service employees who are not union members signed a petition stating they wanted the election. SEIU remains opposed to such an election.

Reed said he preferred to remain neutral about what happens next.

“It’s important that all employees feel happy about the decision,” he said.

O’Connor said he remained unmoved by comments made by union members that many other Bay Area hospitals are union shops.

“My biggest concern is that the union is fighting for the union,” he said. “This hospital is not the Sutter chain … We represent the community.

“I hope that can be the premise of negotiations.”

According to El Camino Communications Manager Judy Twitchell, the next negotiation session between SEIU and management is scheduled for June 4.