Contact: Carol Feuss
Director of Communication and Integrated Marketing
Michigan Nurses Association
517/349-5640, ext. 39 or (cell) 517/230-4086
carol.feuss@minurses.org

Ottawa County Health Department RNs Gain through Wage Study

Grand Haven, MI – Ottawa County Health Department Registered Nurses, represented by the Michigan Nurses Association, ratified a successful wage increase on Thursday, May 19.

An additional 1.5% increase will be added retroactively to wages received in 2005 based on the findings of a wage study conducted in late 2004. Based on the results of the wage study, the RNs negotiated the wages section of the contract. The wage study was developed as part of a three-year contract ratified by the RNs April 1, 2004.

“It’s important, especially at a time when public health nurses are at a premium, that fair and equitable pay is provided,” said Florence Baerren, MNA Labor Representative. “Paying RNs wages that are in line with the market helps retain and recruit more Registered Nurses into this demanding field. Public health in Ottawa County benefits from having professional nurses as part of its programs.”

The Michigan Nurses Association, nurses’ voice for 100 years, is the largest nurses’ union in the State of Michigan. The Michigan Nurses Association (MNA) promotes the economic and general welfare of nurses in the workplace, fosters high standards of nursing practice, and lobbies the legislature and regulatory agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and recipients of nursing services. MNA is a constituent member of the American Nurses Association and the United American Nurses, as well as an affiliate of the AFL-CIO.