Nurses at MyMichigan Medical Center Sault voted Tuesday night to authorize their bargaining team to be able to call for an unfair labor practice strike should it be necessary. A 10-day notice would be provided to MyMichigan before any strike begins.
Nurses have been working under an expired contract since January 1.
Colleen Waucaush, president of the Nurses Union at MyMichigan Medical Center Sault, issued this statement to SooLeader about the reasoning behind the strike.
"The hospital has still refused to offer a single negotiating date before April 18. Voting to strike was not a decision any RN took lightly. It's a serious commitment and sacrifice to make, but MyMichigan's executives have left us with little other choice. We hope this vote will change their conduct, but ultimately whether or not it is does is up to them. It's natural to feel some nerves about this situation - I certainly do - but those feelings do nothing to lessen our resolve. We aren't just fighting for ourselves. We're fighting for our future and our community. Knowing what's at stake is what makes us so steadfast in advocating for what is right."
Kevin Kalchik, President of MyMichigan Medical Center Sault issued a statement to SooLeader about the vote for a strike.
"MyMichigan’s commitment to its health care staff, including its nurses, has been equally apparent. In labor negotiations with the nurses, MyMichigan has taken substantial steps to bring MyMichigan Medical Center Sault’s nurses in alignment with other MyMichigan Health nurses. We have offered all nurses exceptional wage increases, including increases of nearly 19 percent for nurses at the top of the wage scale. We are also offering our Sault-area nurses the same health and welfare benefits as the rest of MNA-represented employees at MyMichigan Health.
For these reasons, we were surprised to learn of the MNA’s announcement that its members voted to authorize a strike at MyMichigan Medical Center Sault. The MNA has not informed MyMichigan that its members authorized a strike or provided any information to MyMichigan about the voting process or results. We only learned about this vote through media inquiries.
We respect our nurses’ rights, including their right to strike. However, we do not believe that a strike would benefit our nurses, our patients, or this community. A strike or the threat of a strike is not going to change MyMichigan’s approach at the bargaining table. We have put our best foot forward in negotiations, and that is reflected by the extraordinary wage and benefit package that we have offered. At the same time, we are dedicated to ensuring our services remain sustainable for the long term so that we may continue to be here for our community. MyMichigan looks forward to completing the negotiation process as soon as possible in order to implement the raises and other contractual enhancements it has offered and continue its efforts to advance the systems and services at MyMichigan Medical Center Sault.
Since MyMichigan Medical Center Sault joined the MyMichigan Health family, we have devoted our focus and our resources to providing exceptional medical care to the Sault Ste. Marie community. We have demonstrated this commitment by investing significantly in our Medical Center, our employees, and our patients. Among other things, MyMichigan has:
- Begun the process of building a pharmacy near our Chemo and Infusion Clinic at a cost of nearly $1 million;
- Started renovating the Medical Center’s Nuclear Medicine Department, including the purchase of a nuclear medicine camera with SPECT/CT scanning technology at a cost of approximately $1.5 million;
- Purchased new communications equipment for our nurses to replace the antiquated systems in place at a cost of nearly $1 million;
- Purchased new beds at the Medical Center at a cost of $1 million;
- Purchased a new roof for one of the Medical Center’s buildings at a cost of $500,000 with additional portions of the Medical Center’s roof to be replaced this summer;
- Begun plans to invest over $10 million more to replace equipment and improve patient care and information sharing through the EPIC project; and
- Created plans to replace MRI and CT equipment with the latest technology, as current equipment is more than 10 years old."
Waucaush did not indicate if, and when, a strike will take place.
