KALAMAZOO, Mich. — With 86% voting in favor, a possible strike at Ascension Borgess is closer than ever.
Nurses with the Michigan Nurses Association say the current contract doesn't meet their needs— but the hospital won't budge on key issues creating unfair labor conditions within the healthcare system.
The union says the proposed agreement from Ascension asked for major concessions on the part of nurses, with nothing in return.
“Our goal is to make sure that our next contract will put our hospital in a strong position to be able to retain experienced nurses and provide safe staffing on every shift,” said Lori Batzloff— a nurse and the president of the local Michigan Nurses Association bargaining unit at Ascension Borgess Hospital.
Up until December 1st, hospital execs wanted to require nurses to work every other weekend, while taking away all contractually protected leaves.
Then the vote was announced.
“Time and again, Ascension executives have shown that they only respond to nurses when we speak out and show our solidarity,” said Nate Hoffman, another nurse at Ascension and member of the bargaining team. “I am truly hopeful that now that RNs have shown we are prepared to do what it takes, we will be able to reach a deal.”
There's no strike yet, but— according to a release sent Tuesday— the collective bargaining team now has the authorization to call for one.
Union representatives would need to give a 10-day warning before any strike happens, giving nurses time to plan and participate while keeping the hospital running.
“Our number one priority as nurses is to always be able to provide the highest quality of patient care.” Blatzloff tells us.
The previous contract expired November 11th. Negotiations are expected to resume on Thursday, December 8th.
