IRONWOOD, Mich. (WZMQ) – Aspirus Ironwood Hospital leaders delivered a package proposal to the Michigan Nurses Association (MNA) bargaining committee on Friday.
Highlights of the proposal include:
- Moving all RNs to the Aspirus system compensation wage range, which is more flexible and market competitive than the traditional “step schedule,” and advances registered nurses (RNs) to market midpoint more quickly. This will improve recruitment and retention efforts.
- This amounts to a 7.1% wage increase in the first year for the RN group.
- The MNA’s last wage proposal would increase wages by 6.19%.
- A guaranteed wage increase across the board for RNs in years two and three of the contract which aligns with the latest proposal from the MNA.
- Increases in “Call Pay” (when nurses get called in for an unscheduled shift) from $2.70 per hour to $4.50 per hour and continued pay of time and one-half for hours worked.
- An increase in the evening “Shift Differential” rate from $2.85 per hour to $3.00 per hour for hours worked between 11 pm and 7 am.
The proposal quickly gained lengthy feedback from nurses with the union, including Angie Butzke, Aspirus Ironwood RN and member of the MNA bargaining team.
“Aspirus is not sharing the whole picture about its current proposal, which offers lower wages for almost half of Ironwood nurses than our proposal does. In addition, Aspirus proposes to take away the wage structure that respects and rewards nurses’ experience. Aspirus is also failing to meaningfully address our proposal regarding the closure of Ironwood’s OB unit. Instead of continuing to make cuts at U.P. hospitals, Aspirus should invest in nurses and the care our communities need. Our bargaining team made up of nurses elected by our peers cannot in good conscience recommend approval of Aspirus’s offer. We do not share Aspirus’s positive assessment of bargaining, especially given the fact that we had to force them back to the table by filing a federal labor charge. Our union is a democracy and nurses will make up their own minds when they vote on the Aspirus proposal Wednesday.”
RN’s will vote on the proposed contract on Wednesday, October 15.
