March 7, 2020

A letter to the nursing staff of Mission Hospital,

As the Mayor of Asheville and Chairman of the Buncombe County Commission, we stand with you in
your effort to form a union for nurses at Mission Hospital. Your concerns as nurses are shared by the
larger community of Asheville, Buncombe County and western North Ca roiina. Mission Hospital is the
critical institution in our mountain region for the care and well-being of our people. Nurses provide the
back?bone that we rely on for the care of our families in times of need.

We have seen first-hand the dedication and professionalism you bring to your work. You have served
the people of our community well. We support you and the community supports you. We are hearing
from our constituents about how encouraged they are that the nurses are working to form a union,
because they know that nurses having a voice at Mission Hospital is important to the future of health
care in western North Carolina.

To provide quality care to our community, we must have a workplace environment that supports the
dignity of work for the nurses who do this challenging and important job day in and day out. We know
that nurses will stand up for the concerns of the people of western North Carolina as decisions are made
about the future of Mission Hospital.

We will be watching the voting process carefully and expect there to be a free and fair election at
Mission H05pital. Nurses need to be able to make up their minds about the formation of a union without
concern for workplace intimidation or retaliation. We expect the hospital to respect the right to hold
this election without any delay or obstruction.

Thank you for your dedicated service. Please know that we will stand with you in the days ahead as you
make this important decision.

Sincerely,
8mm 
Esther Manheimer, Brownie Newman,

Mayor of Asheville Buncombe County Commission Chairman