Contact: Jennifer Casey, RN, Chair
The Registered Professional Nurses of SMH
906/450-1520
OR
Dave Perlove, MNA Labor Representative
906/226-7053 or (cell) 517/896-3399
OR
Carol Feuss, MNA Communications
517/349-5640, ext. 21 or (cell) 517/230-4086
August 17, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
STRIKE NOTICE DELIVERED BY REGISTERED NURSES AT SCHOOLCRAFT MEMORIAL HOSPITAL
Registered Nurses have worked without a contract for almost two years
Manistique, MI - The registered nurses at Schoolcraft Memorial Hospital (SMH), represented by the Michigan Nurses Association, issued a 10-day strike notice to Schoolcraft Memorial Hospital.
If an agreement is not reached, Schoolcraft RNs will begin their work stoppage on 7:00 a.m. on Thursday, August 30, 2007.
Over the last two years, the RNs met for numerous bargaining sessions with the hospital, including sessions with a state mediator. The Registered Professional Nurses also requested “fact-finding,” where a neutral third party hears arguments from both sides, then proposes a solution. None of these efforts have been effective in reaching an agreement.
“If we were to agree to management’s offer, it would cripple the Hospital’s attempt to recruit and retain nurses,” says Jennifer Casey, RN, Chair, Professional Registered Nurses of SMH. “We struggle daily to do more with less, while trying to maintain the highest level of safety and quality for the patients of Schoolcraft County.”
During the two years of contract negotiations, the RNs filed a number of Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) charges against the hospital with the Michigan Employment Relations Commission. The charges included “unilaterally implementing mandatory subjects of bargaining” such as wages, health insurance, on-call scheduling and PTO accrual. And, SMH was charged with “engaging in regressive bargaining” by making proposals that significantly reduced the total amount of compensation offered in a previous proposal.
The Hospital was also charged with “coercing, restraining and intimidating” registered nurses while they were involved in union activities.
“Despite the ongoing assault on the RNs, they have continued to meet, and remain committed to reaching a mutually agreeable resolution,” says David Perlove, MNA Labor Representative. “We remain hopeful that we might be able to avoid a work stoppage and reach an agreement in our final negotiating meeting on Tuesday, August 20, 2007.”
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The Michigan Nurses Association is the largest, most effective union for RNs in Michigan. As the voice of all registered nurses in Michigan, MNA advocates for nurses and their patients at the State Capitol, in the community and at the bargaining table. MNA is a constituent member of the United American Nurses and the American Nurses Association and an affiliate of the AFL-CIO.
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