MyMichigan Medical Center Sault nurses to go on strike after contract negotiations stall

SAULT STE. MARIE — After months of negotiations, Sault nurses are going on strike to fight for better benefits and pay.

Registered nurses of MyMichigan Medical Center Sault announced on Wednesday that a five-day nurses strike will begin on April 15. The unfair labor practice strike, as it is being called, is meant to convince the community and hospital to put a larger emphasis on nurse treatment and pay.

Nurses of MyMichigan, formerly called War Memorial Hospital, have been in negotiations for better pay and benefits ever since their contracts ended in December 2023. Nurses have been working under an expired contract since then.

With the transition from War Memorial to MyMichigan in the past few years, the nurses said they have lost many of the benefits that encouraged them to stay at the hospital while still not receiving the same pay as other area hospitals.

The lack of pay and benefits have led to nurses leaving in large numbers, which they said led to staffing issues at the hospital, and a decrease in patient care and available space.

"Without an adequate number of nurses, we can't staff all of our beds so we keep beds closed. There's a potential of downsizing the ICU from six beds to two," said nurse Colleen Waucaush.

The stance of MyMichigan officials is that even though staffing numbers are lower, they are not an issue that has affected patient care.

Nurses are also upset due to unfair treatment and punishment in retaliation to nurses discussing pay and benefits, including Waucaush, who said she was suspended due to talking about pay and benefits with coworkers.

More: Sault nurses authorize possible strike to resolve contract negotiation

The nurses feel that the hospital's behavior has not improved, and they felt surveilled by the hospital during an informational picket last month.

Last month, the nurses unanimously voted to allow for the negotiation team to call for a strike if necessary.

MyMichigan executives state that negotiations were moving forward and the hospital has made fair and reasonable offers.

"It is disappointing the bargaining nurses walked away from the table after the package we offered accomplished much of what they have been seeking," said MyMichigan President Kevin Kalchik. "We have negotiated in good faith in more than 13 sessions up to this point, working hard to reach an agreement. We are very comfortable with what we have proposed. We believe our position is fair and reasonable and designed to keep us competitive in the challenging health care environment we face today. Moreover, our package respects the excellence of our nurses and all they have contributed to our patients and community."

According to nurses, the negotiations stalled because MyMichigan executives failed to offer solutions that addressed rising costs of insurance, unequal pay compared to other area hospitals or withdraw demands that unionized nurses give up the right to use unused personal time off.

The nurses also claimed that the hospital told them in negotiations it does have the funds for the pay and benefits increases that were asked for, but are not willing to provide them due to hospital performance.

"They told us during negotiations that the hospital system actually has the money to be able to provide us with higher raises, but they don't feel that MyMichigan Sault is performing up to their standards," said Waucaush. "It's discouraging, to hear that they actually have the money to give us the raises that we feel are fair, but won't because they're blaming the hospital's performance on the nurses."

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MyMichigan executives, however, state that they have made fair offers in negotiations that should benefit the hospital and nursing staff.

"After a full day of negotiating in which MyMichigan made a significant proposal that included an increase for our most senior nurses from $37 to $44.77 per hour, within 30 minutes of that proposal, the Michigan Nurses Association (MNA) responded by providing MyMichigan Medical Center Sault a 10-day strike notice," said Kalchik. "The MNA claims it is a strike for unfair labor practices. MyMichigan is unaware of any unfair labor practices filed against us and the MNA was unable to identify any such charges."

Nurses are also frustrated that MyMichigan is spending significant resources everywhere except in direct patient care. MyMichigan Health announced recently that it is acquiring Ascension Michigan’s locations in Saginaw, Tawas and Standish, and that it is undergoing a $10 million medical records update at MyMichigan Medical Center Sault.

“It is hard to understand how MyMichigan executives can easily spend $10 million on a new records system for our hospital, yet they refuse to invest in the people who actually provide the care day after day,” said registered nurse Brittany Barrett. “Nurses want the best for our patients, and that means having enough staff to provide the best care possible. We are losing nurses to other hospitals because MyMichigan pays so little in the Soo. That’s not fair to our community. We are united in standing strong for what’s right.”

More: MyMichigan Sault introduces new communication system to upgrade patient care

MyMichigan has continually stated that the pay they give to nurses is more than adequate and that the benefits they lost were made up in other benefits gained.

The strike, which is being planned and announced several days early, is designed to not interrupt patient care and allow the hospital to plan for temporary replacement nurses.

"We do provide the 10-day notice and so they do have the ability to try to find nurses to cover," said Waucaush. "We definitely want them to be able to provide safe patient care while we're off."

MyMichigan is also confident that the strike will not affect patient care.

"Implementation of our strike preparedness plan is underway," said Kalchik. "Because of that, we are confident that if the nurses do indeed decide to strike, we will continue to provide patients with the same excellent care they receive now. We remain steadfast to these objectives.”

The next negotiation session is set to take place on April 10.

— Contact Brendan Wiesner: BWiesner@Sooeveningnews.com

This article originally appeared on The Sault News: MyMichigan Medical Center Sault nurses authorize strike