EMMC, nurses ratify contract
Nurses at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor approved a new contract agreement this week by a slim 51%-49% margin, ending months of negotiations.
EMMC and the Maine State Nurses Association last week reached a tentative agreement, averting a strike planned for today. On Tuesday, about 830 nurses voted in favor of the contract, and hospital trustees ratified it Wednesday, according to the Bangor Daily News. The one-year contract, which took effect yesterday, addresses concerns expressed by the union, including more notice before the transfer of nurses to different departments. The nurses also agreed to give up their health insurance plan, effective July 1, for the hospital's less expensive plans and contribute toward the cost of their premiums. Though it did not directly address staffing ratios, a major issue for nurses, it did lay out procedures to allow nurses to bring concerns over staffing to the hospital's professional practice committee.
The union, an affiliate of National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United, has been negotiating with the hospital for a new contract since last fall, and in November held a one-day strike.
Most Recent
Most Recent
Comments