Health care labor relations law--understanding the issues.

The 1974 amendments to the Labor Management Relations Act have created new problems of statutory interpretation in the rapidly evolving area of health care labor law. By including nonprofit hospitals under the auspices of the Act, the amendments have opened up a new area for unionization and have given rise to questions concerning the types of bargaining units that are appropriate in health care facilities. In the following article, the authors discuss these questions and other current issues in health care labor relations law. The issues include the determination of relevant bargaining units, the status of state nursing associations as labor organizations, and the ten-day strike notice requirement of the Labor Management Relations Act.

The anaerobic decomposition of benzoic acid during methane fermentation. IV. Dearomatization of the ring and volatile fatty acids formed on ring rupture.

A possible pathway for the anaerobic utilization of benzoic acid by a methanogenic consortium is suggested. Cyclohexane carboxylic acid and 1-cyclohexene-1-carboxylic acid have been identified as intermediates before ring rupture. Suprisingly, 3-cyclohexene-1-carboxylic acid interferes with utilization of other cyclic acids. In addition, isobutyric acid or short chain acids containing carbon-carbon double bonds could not be used without induction periods of a week or longer. A number of volatile fatty acids (heptanoic, valeric, butyric, propanoic, and acetic) have been identified and are suggested intermediates.