ProMedica RNs prepare to strike after months of failed contract talks

BRANCH COUNTY — After votes to turn down three contract offers from ProMedica Coldwater Regional Hospital, members of the Branch County Independent Nurses Association authorized a strike against the hospital.

The union must still provide an official 10-day notice to PCRH before nurses leave to walk the picket lines.

“It would be premature to speculate exactly what will happen if a new contract is not reached, but we know it will not be good," said ProMedica public relation director Tausha Moore.

“We are still open to continuing discussions with the union about the distribution mix of the tentative agreement," the hospital said in a statement. "For the sake of everyone involved, we truly hope we are able to reach an agreement."

The last two packages were tentative agreements to which the union's bargaining team agreed and the union's team agreed to recommend. The membership chose to reject all three packages.

Union President Mary Milne Osborne said, although there are more issues than pay, "we are trying to get better wages so that we can recruit new nurses and retain the nurses that we have.”

Since October 2020, the hospital lost 60 registered nurses and replaced only 17, the union said. Some retired, while others left for higher-paying jobs or became traveling nurses at higher wages during COVID-19.

Lack of nurses creates staffing issues, the union president explained.

“When we don't have enough nurses, then the nurse-to-patient ratio increases. With less nurses, each nurse has to take more patients,” Osborne said. “So, we tried to get guaranteed staffing ratios, which means each nurse is only going to be expected to take so many patients."

With fewer nurses, an RN who takes care of four or five on medical floors may then look after six or seven. This means less time per patient.

“Our big concern right there is for the safety of our patient. We want to make sure that patients get the excellent care that they deserve,” Osborne said.

“The whole surgical floor has been closed for a long, long time now, because they don't have nurses to staff that floor,” Osborne said. “Patients end up waiting in the emergency room, sometimes hours and days to be admitted upstairs. Or they get transferred out to other hospitals.

“We recognize that our nurses are hardworking and dedicated to providing the best care to our community," she said. "We are proud of the work they and other care team members do each and every day, as patient safety is the top priority.”

Dozens gathered with some friends and family Sunday afternoon to prepare picket signs, should an agreement not be reached.

The union’s last two-and-a-half-year contract for the 110 registered nurses expired Dec. 31. The Toledo-based hospital chain and nurses began bargaining Sept. 28. A federal mediator joined the talks in November.

Nurses rejected a 7.7% average increase for the first year in the last contract voted down.

The starting salary offer was $30.31 an hour, up from $28.94.

“Oakland (in Marshall) pays $10 an hour more,” Osborne said.

The Branch County nursing facility Maple Lawn posted RN jobs starting at $34.70.

Many are offering sign-on bonuses. ProMedica offers the bonuses, but only for new nurses, not experienced ones, Osborne said.

Ascension-Borgess in Kalamazoo and its nurses approved a contract after a short strike by its 330 RNs. That contract gives nurses average raises of 20.5% in the first year of the contract, the union said. That will bump nurses to a new wage scale of $33.44 to $48.72.

The hospital said its wages and benefit packages are competitive for a rural hospital.

ProMedica said the hospital faces financial issues faced nationwide by rural facilities.

“According to the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform, nearly 30% of all rural hospitals in the country are at risk of closing in the near future," the hospital said in a statement. "A strike in Coldwater would impact the hospital’s ability to continue to offer comprehensive services. This could have significant consequences for our patients and the community we serve.”

There are other issues — the hospital wants to reduce its contribution to nurses' retirement funds. It also switched health insurance from Blue Cross/Blue Shield to United Health Care, the union said.

While premium cost remained the same for many, out-of-pocket cost increased.

“My total out-of-pocket maximum went from $2,900 to $8,000,” Osborne explained.

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“This is not about ProMedica Coldwater Regional Hospital playing hardball or bluffing in its negotiations," Moore said. "This is about a well-documented economic reality.”

“We truly wish we were not in a position of extreme financial strain, and we are working diligently to ensure the organization's stability and sustainability. But that will take some time,” Moore said.

— Contact Don Reid: dReid@Gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DReidTDR.

This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: ProMedica registered nurses authorize strike after third contract vote rejected