The National Labor Relations Board set an April 5 union election date at Kaiser Permanente, where the representation of more than 45,000 California employees is at stake.
NLRB officials ordered a new election after the National Union of Healthcare Workers challenged the results of an October 2010 election. The complaint alleged that Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser favored SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West, which won 61% of the vote. Kaiser has said the system has no preference for either union.
Employees will cast their votes via mail with an April 29 deadline. NLRB officials at the agency's regional office in Oakland will start counting the ballots on May 1.
SEIU officials on Monday continued to express confidence in winning the election.