A hearing to determine whether Carson-Tahoe Hospital nurses and respiratory therapists could seek union representation has been postponed until March 28.
The state Local Government Employee Management Relations Board was set to hear the separate petitions Wednesday, but legal counsel from Operating Engineers Local Union No. 3 was not licensed to practice law in Nevada.
"The EMRB didn't want to jeopardize a technical overruling of their decision," union representative Pete Ford said.
Carson-Tahoe has an employees association which bargains with management for all hospital employees. Nurses and respiratory therapists have argued they have special needs which require a separate bargaining unit to deal with their specific concerns.
Nurses at Carson-Tahoe say they are seeking a union separate from the employee association to raise the quality of care for patients, lower nurse stress and to operate more efficiently and safely. Respiratory therapists are looking for the ability to adjust their workload.
Hospital administrators and the employees association argue that a wall-to-wall bargaining unit for all employees is best.