Despite last-ditch effort by teacher union lawyers to overturn vote, over 300 hospital employees are officially union free
Willimantic, CT (April 7, 2026) – Employees at Windham Community Memorial Hospital are officially free from the unwanted “representation” of American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Local 5099 union officials. Following an initial delay, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) certified the result, after an overwhelming majority of the Hospital’s workers voted to “decertify” the union in a February secret ballot vote.
The decertification effort was spearheaded by Windham Hospital employee Sara Doner, who received free legal aid from National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys during the decertification process.
NLRB Region 1 certified the election results, officially ending AFT union bosses’ exclusive monopoly representation of the Windham Community Memorial Hospital employees. The NLRB is the federal agency responsible for enforcing the National Labor Relations Act, a task that includes administering elections to install (or “certify”) and remove (or “decertify”) unions.
Days after the landslide 168-70 vote to remove the union, AFT filed objections with the NLRB, seeking to overturn the workers’ election result. However, AFT union officials soon reversed course and dropped their objections, perhaps recognizing the futility of their efforts to maintain monopoly control of the employees after the overwhelming statement sent by the one-sided result.
Connecticut is one of 24 states that lack Right to Work protections for workers, which means that prior to the decertification, AFT union bosses were empowered to impose monopoly bargaining contracts that force employees to pay union dues or fees as a condition of employment. By contrast, in Right to Work states, union membership and union financial support are strictly voluntary.
“Headed by longtime top boss Randi Weingarten, the AFT is best known for the divisive role union officials have played undermining student and taxpayer interests in the classrooms of public schools nationwide,” commented National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. “While lesser known, the targets of AFT union boss coercion also includes thousands of healthcare providers.
“We are pleased to have been able to assist this group of hundreds of Windham Community Memorial employees as they exercise their legal right to send AFT union bosses packing, and we encourage anyone else – whether educator or healthcare worker – trapped under AFT control they oppose to reach out for legal aid,” Mix added.
The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation is a nonprofit, charitable organization providing free legal aid to employees whose human or civil rights have been violated by compulsory unionism abuses. The Foundation, which can be contacted toll-free at 1-800-336-3600, assists thousands of employees in about 200 cases nationwide per year.
