Last Thursday night, the maintenance workers at Duke Raleigh Hospital voted 14-11 to join the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 465, a union that also represents the maintenance workers at Duke University.

“We’re just trying to provide for our families, be treated fairly, and have our hard work respected,” said Duke Raleigh worker Corey Brown in a press release from the state AFL-CIO. “People have kids, houses, and lives at stake, and before the hospital could do pretty much whatever they wanted. Now we will have the power to secure our future together.”

Stephen Rumburg, president of Local 465, tells INDY that workers filed for an election on December 27 and were able to quickly vote due to a recent rule change from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) under President Biden. He says there wasn’t any specific instance that prompted the unionization but that workers were just tired of feeling “mistreated” and unappreciated by management.

The vote comes during a promising time for collective action, both locally and nationwide. Following a strike last year, workers at a Durham REI voted to unionize. Last month, a Durham Starbucks store was the first in the Triangle to unionize. Hollywood actors and writers, as well as national autoworkers, made headlines in 2023 with strikes. 

Rumburg says that unions tend to have a worse reputation in the minds of North Carolinian and Southern workers but that national attention has helped improve their image. 

“The word is getting out what a union can do for workers, through Amazon, through Starbucks, through national attention that piques people’s curiosity.” 

In an “employment at will” state, North Carolina employers can fire workers without explanation. Union contracts, like Local 465’s, have just-cause clauses that give employees more ground to stand on.

“We’re here to protect you—if you didn’t do something wrong, then we can protect your job,” says Rumburg.

Reach Reporter Chase Pellegrini de Paur at [email protected]. Comment on this story at [email protected].

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Chase Pellegrini de Paur is a reporter for INDY, covering politics, education, and the delightful characters who make the Triangle special. He joined the staff in 2023 and previously wrote for The Ninth Street Journal.