IRONWOOD, Mich. (WZMQ) – On November 5, nurses at Aspirus Ironwood Hospital will vote on whether to authorize a strike.
The decision comes after nurses say their employer refused to move on key issues during bargaining on October 29. Nurses have been negotiating with Aspirus for a new contract since May 6.
“We’ve been very clear with Aspirus about what’s needed in a contract to make sure the hospital can recruit and retain enough nurses to provide safe patient care,” said Sarah Trudgeon, RN and president of the local Michigan Nurses Association (MNA) union at the hospital. “The reality is that nurses will only come to Aspirus Ironwood, and stay working here, if wages are competitive. Our union is united and will stand strong for a contract that values nurses and puts our patients over Aspirus’s profits.”
No further bargaining dates are set at this time.
The November 5 vote will determine whether the union authorizes its elected RN bargaining team to call for a strike if deemed necessary. It does not guarantee that the nurses will strike.
The nurses voted unanimously on October 15 to reject Aspirus’s contract proposal and gave the following reasons:
• Eliminates the wage structure that rewards nurses’ experience
• Provides lower wages than the MNA proposal for nearly half the nurses
• Fails to meaningfully address the impending closure of the OB unit and the nurses’ proposal regarding it.
Aspirus plans to close Ironwood’s OB unit at the end of the year. Nurses say that will force women to drive even farther to deliver a baby, despite the state offering funding to support it.
Nurses on the Ironwood bargaining team say Aspirus has shown “little interest” in saving the OB unit or mitigating the effects of the closure. The MNA nurses previously had to file a federal labor charge to force Aspirus back to the bargaining table.
