Akron General nurses union authorizes negotiating team to issue strike notice
The Cleveland Clinic Akron General nurses union has not ruled out a full labor strike as contract negotiations are set to drag into their seventh week. But for now, union members are trying to resolve ongoing contract disputes in a less disruptive way.
Nurses either on their breaks or off work will picket from March 6-8, according to an Ohio Nurses Association news release. This is not a strike, but a smaller informational picket.
The union's three-year contract is due to expire Thursday.
Nurses represented by the Ohio Nurses Association voted during a meeting Feb. 15 to allow their negotiating team to issue a strike notice, though it has not done so yet. The ONA represents more than 800 nurses at the hospital. Of the nearly 300 members who attended that meeting, 91% voted for the measure, the union announced online.
On Feb. 16, the Akron hospital told the union it knew about the vote. The union reported online that the hospital could withdraw and change its contract proposals if the notice was issued.
If a walkout happens, it would be the first strike at the hospital in two decades.
Two issues loom over the talks that began in the second week of January: wages and safe staffing.
"We are continuing good faith negotiations with the nurses' bargaining unit at Cleveland Clinic Akron General," wrote a Cleveland Clinic spokesperson in an email. "Our goal is to achieve a mutually agreeable contract renewal, as we have in past years. Akron General greatly appreciates the care provided by all caregivers, including those in the bargaining unit, at the hospital."
2004 strike: June 18, 2004: Hospital cuts back as nurses walk out
Wages and safe staffing are major issues in contract talks between nurses union, Akron General
Among the sticking points is safe staffing ratios — a set of guidelines stating how many patients one nurse can care for at a time. The union hopes to cement these guidelines into its contract.
The ONA nurses also want to be paid on par with nurses at other Cleveland Clinic facilities, according to the union website.
The union wants to expand maternity leave to include full-time and semi-full-time while keeping the 16-week option instead of dropping it to 12 weeks, ONA reported on its website. The Cleveland Clinic proposed paying 60% of a full-time nurse's salary if they are out on approved leave.
The hospital proposed a matched retirement savings decrease from 5% to 3%. The union wants to increase it to 7%.
Cleveland Clinic Akron General proposed a reduction in paid time off buybacks, decreasing the money nurses would get if they did not use all of their PTO.
The union asked to designate Easter as a holiday while asking for twice the pay when working on holidays.
Federal mediator called to talks
A federal mediator was called in Week 4 after back-and-forth negotiations turned sour when a member of the union's negotiation team was suspended and then fired over allegations of "falsifying documentation," according to the union's website.
The union has filed an unfair labor practice charge in this case.
Where do talks stand now?
Although tentative agreements were made on a few items, including certification pay for new hires and recent graduates, multiple proposals remain on the table.
The two sides are still negotiating retirement, maternity leave, floating guidelines, safe staffing and wages. Talks are scheduled to resume Monday.
Last strike was 20 years ago
The last time Cleveland Clinic Akron General nurses took to the picket lines was in 2004 for 12 days in June and July.
At the time, the union decided to strike over three main issues: wages, health insurance costs and pensions.
The hospital and union offered competing pay raises of 2.5% and 3.5%, respectively.
The hospital proposed a 5% health care benefit increase while forcing spouses off the policy if the spouse had insurance through their employer. The union wanted a smaller percent increase or a larger pay raise to offset the insurance cost. They also wanted to keep spouses on their insurance plans.
The union wanted to keep pensions. The hospital proposed that newly hired nurses would not get pensions after retirement.
In the end, the two sides compromised to include a 3% pay raise, health coverage for spouses and to replace pensions for new hires with matched retirement plan savings.
Retaining nurses was main aim in 2021
The previous contract approved in February 2021 aimed to retain nurses, according to an Ohio Nurses Association news release issued in 2021.
It tweaked salary benefits for senior nurses while adjusting the wage scale and the night-shift differential.
It also made vacation scheduling more flexible, retained incentives for nurses who pick up extra shifts and provided a ratification bonus of $750.
Bryce Buyakie covers courts and public safety for the Beacon Journal. He can be reached by email at bbuyakie@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @bryce_buyakie.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron General nurses union authorizes strike notice as talks continue
