Not all the big votes will be tallied today.

In the latest development in the ongoing contractual dispute between Sutter Amador Hospital and United Healthcare Workers-West, a staff-driven petition is officially calling for an election that could establish new union representation with the state's largest health care union.

The contract for hospital workers expired in February. In July, hospital administrators effectively ended talks when it sent letters saying it would no longer recognize UHW's role as the official union representative at Sutter Amador. At that time, negotiating teams had reached some tentative agreements and remained far apart on other issues. The impasse has prompted UHW negotiators to call for a federally supervised election, one hospital administrators say they have repeatedly requested.

"For nine months Sutter Amador Hospital has asked that our employees be given the opportunity to vote in a (federally) supervised election to determine whether or not they want to be represented by United Healthcare Workers," said spokeswoman Jody Boetzer. "We are very pleased that a petition has finally been submitted and an election will be scheduled in the near future."

Registered nurse Beth Haddorff, a Sutter Amador employee and member of UHW, said the hospital blocked numerous requests for a "regular" election to determine whether the staff was in favor of being represented by UHW. The hospital demanded that such a vote take place under the auspices of the National Labor Relations Board. Haddorff said the hospital could have requested such an election at any time, but chose not to do so.

"Management and (staff) have to get together and agree to the terms of it," Haddorff said. Those terms will include how long such a vote will go, who can observe and what kind of informational items can be included.

Haddorff accused the hospital of engaging in a "major anti-union campaign," removing union literature from staff mailboxes and common areas, and offering "anti-union communications" during manager meetings. "So they just don't want us to have any free speech at all."

For years, staff at Sutter Amador Hospital were members of the Service Employees International Union, Local 4988. Since 2007, Sutter Amador caregivers and Local 4988 have seen involvement from SEIU's statewide representative, UHW.

Sutter Health's recent refusal to accept UHW's role in contract talks prompted union members to circulate a petition earlier this year to authorize UHW as their union. It was unclear how many names made it onto the petition, with UHW spokesman Steve Sidawi at first declining to give a figure then saying he didn't know.

Both hospital officials and union members say they want an election free from coercion. In the past, both sides have accused the other of exerting pressure for or against the union.

While contract negotiations have been at a standstill since July, the hospital has moved forward with some of the tentative agreements reached before talks hit an impasse. Those include wage increases, though Haddorff said they weren't to the degree union negotiators were seeking. Free employee health care will begin in January.

"SAH has a long history of taking care of our employees - ensuring their wages and benefits are competitive and that they work in a respectful environment," Boetzer said in her e-mail. "We do this not because of a union, but because it's the right thing to do."

As for one of the most controversial proposals - instituting mandatory UHW membership for hospital staff - Haddorff said what is referred to as a "closed shop" would first require the majority of hospital employees to vote in favor of it. Mandatory membership would then be implemented over a five-year period. If what Haddorff said is true, reaching that plateau won't be difficult. She said petitions that have circulated through the hospital showed 70 percent of the staff in favor of joining. "And then there's 30 percent who don't want anything do with us," she admitted.

Employees at several Sutter hospitals throughout Northern California are represented by UHW. About half the staff at Sutter Amador are currently dues-paying members, according to Haddorff. She described the hospital as having a "family friendly" environment before UHW entered the fray, upending things with its reputation for securing large contracts.

Haddorff acknowledged that outside factors, like a halting economy, are also adding pressure. "It's a struggle for both sides," she said, pointing to Amador County's large elderly population and Medicare's spotty history paying for hospital care.

The NLRB election has not yet been scheduled, but both sides may be looking forward to the end of a long and contentious negotiation campaign.

"We look forward to seeing a healthy and respectful sharing of information to allow our employees to make an educated decision based on their own self-interests," Boetzer said.

"Yeah, it's been going on for a long time," Haddorff sighed. "We're just ready for it to be over."