Bert Nash employees vote to unionize in Douglas County health center
Bert Nash workers backed Teamsters Local 696, with 113 votes for union representation and 52 against, as staffing strain and county funding pressures hit Lawrence.
Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center employees voted 113-52 to unionize with Teamsters Local 696. Of 252 eligible voters, 165 cast ballots, a turnout of nearly 66 percent.
The National Labor Relations Board’s case record listed 253 eligible voters, 168 ballots counted, three challenged ballots and no void ballots, with the same 113-to-52 result. The bargaining unit included professional staff at Bert Nash sites on Maine Street and West 2nd Street in Lawrence.
Staff members had been raising concerns about heavier caseloads, burnout, workplace safety and the need for predictable raises, issues that reach directly into the day-to-day care clients receive when they call Bert Nash for crisis help, therapy, medication services, case management or housing support. Jordan Claeys, a crisis therapist, said he was proud of colleagues and the organizing committee for coming together around quality care, safe staffing and better service to clients. Amy Munsterman, a licensed practical nurse, said being represented by the union would help workers have a seat at the table and empower them to provide the best care possible.
In July 2025, Bert Nash asked Douglas County for more than $2.3 million in additional funding to maintain service levels through 2026. Bert Nash projected it would end 2025 with about a $2.1 million loss. Leaders hoped for about $1.7 million in new county funding, but a $900,000 deficit could still remain even if the money arrived.
County commissioners also discussed setting aside $1 million for mental-health crisis care in 2026 and weighing a separate one-time request of up to $700,000 to help backstop the Treatment and Recovery Center. Bert Nash’s leadership has already changed once in that stretch, after former CEO Patrick Schmitz resigned in June 2025.
Bert Nash employees had previously unionized under IBEW Local 304 in 2024, and that affiliation was withdrawn in May 2026 after more than 100 hours of negotiations. Teamsters said management mounted a six-figure anti-union campaign.
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