If UPMC really doesn't have any employees, it's going to have to prove so at a hearing next week, thanks to an order from the National Labor Relations Board.

The decision (found here: Board_Decision.pdf), recently posted online and dated Jan. 28, is signed by three members of the NLRB, including chairman Mark Gaston Pearce.

The response reads:

Respondent UPMC’s Motion for Summary Judgment in Cases 06-CA-086542 and 06-CA-090063 is denied. The Respondent has failed to establish that there are no genuine issues of material fact and that it is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.

City Paper reported today that UPMC was seeking to be removed from an NLRB complaint against the company alleging unfair practices against non-clinical employees seeking to unionize at UPMC hospitals because it didn't have any employees and was just a holding company. UPMC has long touted itself as the state's largest employer, with more than 55,000 workers.

A hearing on the complaint will be held Tuesday, Feb. 5, at the William S. Moorehead Federal Building, 1000 Liberty Ave., Downtown.