Mission Hospital in Asheville is ground zero for one of the biggest union battles in the South. National Nurses United – the nation’s largest nurses union – is hoping for victory next month when the vote is tallied on whether the hospital’s nurses will or won’t unionize. But a strong ‘no vote’ campaign has emerged, with union opponents raising a red flag over patient care they say could suffer if the union prevails. But the issue is broader than one North Carolina hospital. A victory could open the door for other unions and activists seeking to gain a strong footing in a state with a long and proud right-to-work history. The North Carolina Association of Educators – the state affiliate of the National Education Association – has already called for collective bargaining, with members staging walkouts that have left students and parents in the lurch. Our panelists include a nurse who opposes the union push in Asheville, an administrator in the public schools who’s concerned about union expansion in our state, and a leader in the business community. In this conversation, we’ll engage our experts in a look at the broader implications linked to the targeting of North Carolina by unions.
