MyMichigan Sault nurses authorize second strike as negotiations continue
SAULT STE. MARIE — MyMichigan Sault nurses have authorized an indefinite strike just days before their next bargaining session on June 19.
After 17 rounds of negotiations, six months without a contract, one five-day strike and several picket lines, the nurses of MyMichigan Sault are preparing for another strike in case the 18th bargaining session also has no resolution.
Nurses overwhelmingly voted to authorize the second strike on Thursday, June 13 with the backing of a new Michigan Nurses Association strike pay benefit to provide financial support. This time, the strike that was authorized is indefinite and could last much longer than the initial five-day strike in April.
"We're pretty disappointed that we haven't been able to reach anything thus far. Of course, we remain hopeful that we can reach an agreement and that we don't even have to strike, that would be the ideal scenario," said MyMichigan Sault nurse Alexis Laaksonen. "But our union has never been stronger. This has brought us much closer together, and we're prepared to do what we need to do for our patients and our community."
More: Sault nurses officially go on strike
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The nurses union has been asking since October for fair wages that are needed to recruit and retain nurses. They claim that patient care is being affected by a lack of nurses due to the low pay and lack of benefits. In this time, MyMichigan has made several offers which they claim more than match the wages of other area hospitals, but the nurses claim that some nurses will actually take a pay cut if those offers are accepted.
In the six months that they have been working with no contract, several nurses have left for positions at other hospitals. MyMichigan officials believe that those nurses did not leave for wage disagreement reasons and that their loss has not affected patient care, but the nurses union claims that the loss of those nurses is affecting their ability to safely staff the hospital.
"Retaining nurses is something that we've been struggling with. We're short staffed and nurses are leaving to go to other places, because in our community, there are other places for nurses to go to get paid more," said Laaksonen.
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A 10-day notice will be given before any strike is called to allow the hospital to find suitable replacements in time.
After the announcement of the strike authorization, MyMichigan Sault made this statement to the Soo Evening News:
"It is unfortunate that the MNA took a strike authorization vote to possibly strike at a later date. A 10-day notice is still required to strike. We have negotiated in good faith and will continue to do so. A significant increase has been proposed, with an average increase in wages of nearly $10,000 and highest increase of $16,000, that we have not been able to settle to get our nurses the increase they so rightly have deserved. In fact, we have been in negotiation since October and have met 17 times. The MNA continues to not move from its original stance. When asked for comparable wages we have offered higher than Alpena 'top of scale' and that is still not acceptable to the MNA. Top of scale in Alpena is $44.74 and we are offering $44.77, immediately, and this does not include an additional $1.50 that is available to all nurses that desire to get additional certification which brings actual top of scale up to $46.27. In a commitment to our community, it is our responsibility to carefully balance a fair wage increase for our nurses with what is needed to pay all staff fairly, maintain our facilities, replace critical equipment and maintain the critical services our community deserves. We are scheduled to negotiate again on the Wednesday, June 19, and hope we can come to an agreement."
In addition to the continuing bargaining sessions, the National Labor Relations Board is investigating unfair labor practice charges against the hospital filed by the nurses union. The union alleges that the hospital attempted to coerce nurses to leaving their union, illegally surveilled their picket lines and is bargaining in bad faith.— Contact Brendan Wiesner: BWiesner@Sooeveningnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Sault News: MyMichigan Sault nurses authorize second strike as negotiations continue
