CMCH nurses picket to speed up contract negotiations

Nurses picketed outside Central Michigan Community Hospital this morning hoping to speed up contract negotiations that have dragged on for more than six months.

The 111 registered nurses at CMCH have been working without a contract since February. Their informational picket was to raise community awareness and to speed up the negotiating process.

“No negotiations are planned at this point,” said Ann Sincox, spokesperson for the Michigan Nurses Association. “We’re trying to get management back to the table.”

The main points of the contract come down to whether or not permanent positions will be filled with temporary nurses and a wage freeze that could affect CMCH’s ability to recruit and retain nurses.

“Everything is related to patient care and the ability to give it,” Sincox said.

While the MNA feels that the wage freeze coupled with low rates will make it hard to get new nurses, CMCH disagrees.

Director of Marketing and Communications Jennifer White said 238 nurses applied for eight positions posted in April, and CMCH nurses’ average wage level is best in mid-Michigan.

The nurses’ temporary contract ran out in February, and very few serious negotiations have taken place since then.

“We need a contract and to be treated fairly,” said union president Marilyn Sprague, who has worked at CMCH for 40 years. “Contract negotiations stalled, it’s been a year.”

The MNA has had four sessions with a federal mediator, but those have not solved the issue.

“After four sessions with the mediator where we didn’t see the employer make any movement, we had to do something else,” said Lisa Harrison, labor relations representative for the MNA.

Both sides will return to the table in early October for further negotiations.

“Things have not gone as quickly as the union would like, but they are moving forward,” White said.

Roughly half of the 111 nurses attended the pickets, while others were working. While this has yet to result in a strike, the groundwork has been laid.

A vote authorizing a strike was passed by the MNA in June, although no strike has been planned. The MNA would first have to give CMCH notice of a strike ten days in advance.

“It’s serious,” Harrison said. “We don’t go forward and authorize a strike lightly. It’s not normal for me to take a strike vote unless it’s dire.”

The ten days notice has not been given, so a strike is not imminent. The nursing staff and the union alike hope a strike is not necessary. Harrison hopes the nurses will not need to go on strike.

“The goal is always to get a contract,” she said.

Contingency plans are already in place if the nurses do decide to go on strike.

“We’re still responsible for the care of the community and we won’t jeopardize that,” White said. “We will have experience nurses come in if it comes to that.”

Neither side wants the situation to result in a strike, and October’s negotiations could play a big role.

“We have a lot of respect for the nurses,” White said. “We are actively trying to pursue a contract that’s agreeable for both parties.”