Next round of negotiations set for Sault nurses
SAULT STE. MARIE — MyMichigan Medical Center Sault nurses are no closer to a deal following a weeklong strike.
From April 15-19, the nurses went on strike to protest a lack of progress in contract negotiations. The nurses of MyMichigan have been working under an expired contract since the beginning of the year and refuse to sign a new contract due to issues with pay and benefits.
The nurses are negotiating to receive equal pay to other area hospitals without sacrificing the benefits they had under the War Memorial Hospital contract.
The Michigan Nurses Association (MNA) argues that nurse salaries have not increased in years in the Sault and combined with increasing cost of living causes more difficulties in retaining staff.
During the strike there was another round of negotiations, during which MyMichigan made another offer that the nurses turned down, claiming it was the same offer they had turned down a month before.
While the nurses claim they aren't receiving comparable pay to nurses at other nearby hospitals, MyMichigan claims that both the current pay and the pay that was offered during negotiations is equal to the area standard. Both sides have mentioned other area hospitals whose pay structure they claim supports their side.
Nurses claim that with the lack of pay and benefits, the hospital risks losing large amounts of nursing staff in a way that will seriously affect patient care. According to the nursing staff, there are already concerns about wait times and the number of nurses available to each bed.
MyMichigan claims there have not been any issues regarding staffing numbers and there has been no effect on patient care even during the strike.
"Suggesting that we provide unsafe care in any way, shape or form is completely false, and we would appreciate it if the MNA focuses on telling the truth," said MyMichigan Sault President Kevin Kalchik. "They've created a sense of fear in our community that are we are unable to provide care, especially during the strike. That creates possibility for somebody to not seek care."
Despite hospital claims that safe staffing concerns are overblown, nurses continue to argue that the staffing issues are much worse than that.
"It's been a struggle for years honestly. The U.P. is a hard place to get nurses to come to in general and I know that they were a little short staffed during the strike," said MyMichigan nurse Elizabeth Pancheri. "Now afterwards, we've still been short staffed in other departments, so it's still an ongoing thing that is not resolved."
The nurses announced the strike over a week beforehand and helped organize incoming nurse shifts to minimize the impact on patient care.
"We were very lucky to have the support of MyMichigan leaders and the nurses that cross the picket line to take care of our community," said Kalchik.
More: Sault nurses officially go on strike
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During the strike, the Sault community showed support for the nurses as they formed a 24/7 picket line with protest signs. Many community members dropped off food, coats and other items to show their support.
"I swear every car that drove by honked the horn or waved or did something. We had over 50 businesses and different people from the community that donated stuff, like we had this one family drop off a bag of cookies, which was so sweet," said Pancheri. "People were just stopping all day long like 24/7 dropping off coffee or pizza."
Many downtown Sault businesses have also posted stickers and signs reading "I support Sault nurses."
"I feel like it went really well. I feel like the strike really brought us all together as a union and a lot of us nurses that don't really get to interact with each other very often got to really make really strong bonds," said Pancheri. "We really got to see how strongly the community is behind us."
The next round of negotiations is scheduled to take place on May 10.
— Contact Brendan Wiesner: BWiesner@Sooeveningnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Sault News: Next round of negotiations set for Sault nurses
