ALMA, Mich.—While much of the country fired up grills and watched fireworks this Independence Day weekend, most of the 178 registered nurses at MyMichigan Medical Center Alma walked the picket line instead, fighting for their own kind of freedom—freedom from unfair wages, unsafe staffing, and a hospital administration they say has conducted illegal anti-union action.
The three-day strike, which began Friday, July 3, and ran through Monday morning, came after 16 grueling negotiating sessions for a new contract and a 98% strike authorization vote from nurses who say they have simply run out of patience.
This weekend’s strike is the latest escalation in a months-long battle between the Michigan Nurses Association (MNA) and MyMichigan Health, which nurses accuse of violating their contract and engaging in unlawful conduct throughout negotiations. They join nurses around the country, whether represented by the National Nurses United, SEIU, or the Teamsters, in fighting back against a healthcare system that doesn’t work for its workers or patients, but simply tries to maximize profits.
The MNA filed six unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which remain under investigation. The charges include withdrawing contract proposals after the union gave legally protected strike notice, stopping advance shift trades without bargaining before the strike, and changing policies regarding the assignment of Psychiatric Care nurses to other departments without required bargaining beforehand.
The union also said that the hospital refused to allow paid time off accrual on weekend overtime despite clear contract language, communicated directly with hospital staff about proposals not made at the bargaining table, and that a hospital representative made an unlawful threat against a union representative, stating that Alma nurses would never get a contract after the legally required notice of picketing was given.
“MyMichigan’s actions show nothing but disrespect and disregard for our nurses, our union, and our community,” said Shenan Shinabarger, RN, president of the MNA local at the hospital and a member of the statewide MNA board.
In an MNA statement on the strike, she said that “Alma nurses work hard every single day to take care of our neighbors, but our caring nature doesn’t mean we are pushovers who will accept less than we deserve.”
Shinabarger, a 16-year nurse at the hospital, said that the nurses are fighting for competitive wages to recruit and retain staff, safe patient-to-nurse ratios, and a resolution to long-standing safety concerns—demands she says the hospital has repeatedly brushed aside.
The nurses’ most recent contract expired in February. In May, members voted 98% in favor of strike authorization. After the 16th bargaining session on June 16 ended in no agreement, the MNA issued a two-week strike notice on June 18. MyMichigan Alma’s final contract offer included no pay raise for the first year and a 1% increase for each of the following two years.
According to the union, nearly one in four Alma nurses would see no change in their wages during that time, despite the hospital offering step increases and corrections for nurses misplaced on the pay scale. Meanwhile, nurses point out, executives and hospital administrators received pay increases and excessive bonuses.
“While we remain committed to bargaining in good faith, we won’t let ourselves be bullied into an unfair contract,” MyMichigan Alma RN Sarah Weber told Mid-Michigan Now. “MyMichigan wants us to accept what’s essentially a pay cut—we’d be doing the same work for less, with the rising costs of groceries, gas, and everything else. Who would say yes to that?”
She added that the nurses want to recruit and retain colleagues who will stay in the community and support their neighbors, but that the hospital’s approach has made that nearly impossible.
On the picket line, nurses were joined by supportive community members and allied organizations. MNA organizers invited anyone who stands with workers to come out at any time during the strike.
“We hope that when this is said and done, we are able to go back to the bargaining table, continue to bargain in good faith, and reach a contract that is fair and just,” Shinabarger said.
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