National Nurses United

MAINE T he maine department of Labor (DOL) issued a citation in late Feb- ruary to Northern Maine Medical Center (NMMC) for regulatory vio- lations, including misclassifying nurses as subcontractors, failing to pay nurses over- time, failing to pay nurses their wages in a timely manner, and requiring nurses to sign contracts that exempted NMMC from Maine's labor laws. The citation, which listed 77 violations of Maine's labor regulations by NMMC, fol- lowed a complaint initiated by Maine State Nurses Association/National Nurses Organ- izing Committee (MSNA/NNOC), which represents the nurses at NMMC. "Violations like these are why NMMC nurses unionized," said Brad Martinez, RN in the emergency department. "NMMC played by its own set of rules, until nurses unionized and exercised our power to hold them accountable." DOL recently reached a settlement agreement with NMMC that includes: Fees to be paid by NMMC, including: $15,706.93 paid directly to three nurses for wages, liquidated damages, and interest; $8,750 in fines to the state; DOL monitor- ing NMMC compliance for two years, with a possibility of $84,050 in additional penal- ties for noncompliance with settlement terms; DOL retraining of NMMC manage- ment on Maine Labor Laws within 180 days; and DOL ending of NMMC's "RN Flexibility Solutions" program. NMMC's illegal misclassification had resulted in the termination of two nurses. While the terminated nurses received some pay in restitution, they are owed more by the hospital. "We call on NMMC to immediately make whole the nurses impacted by their misclas- sification," said Terry Caron, RN in the adult behavioral health unit. "This harm could have been avoided entirely, and now it is well past time to correct their mistakes." Nurses at NMMC are negotiating their first contract, after winning their union elec- tion in January 2024. "Unfortunately, NMMC's disregard for the law and for their nurses is symptomatic of the behavior that led us to form a union in the first place," said Ami Maxwell, RN in the emergency department. "Our union will continue fighting for a level playing field for all nurses and a strong first union contract that ensures the highest standard of care for our communities." —Michelle Morris J A N U A R Y | F E B R U A R Y | M A R C H 2 0 2 5 W W W . N A T I O N A L N U R S E S U N I T E D . O R G N A T I O N A L N U R S E 13 NATIONAL I n january, the current administration announced it was revoking guidelines that previously barred raids by Immi- gration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on "sensitive areas," including hospi- tals, other health care facilities, schools, and places of worship. In response to this change, National Nurses United (NNU), issued a statement expressing outrage because hospi- tals should be places of healing, where all patients feel safe receiving care, without fear. The statement read in part: "Our patients, with whom we make a sacred oath to help and heal, without discrimination, should never be forced to forego lifesaving treatment because our government has made our work- places sites of harm and terror. "Nurses deeply understand that the col- lective health of the nation is dependent on all people—our immigrant and our non- immigrant patients—receiving the care they need. Even just the threat of immigration enforcement in our nation's hospitals creates an atmosphere where patients will poten- tially avoid seeking care, putting entire communities at risk. Viruses and other ill- nesses can spread quickly without proper care, and they do not discriminate. Knowing that our workplaces may be raided, and our patients may be arrested, pre- vents nurses from focusing on the lifesaving work we were educated and called to do. When we are already so short staffed, with every patient needing us at once, we cannot also withstand ICE raids, and our country cannot withstand driving any more nurses away from the profession. "Nurses call on the Trump administra- tion to keep hospitals and other health care facilities, as well as other previously pro- tected areas such as schools and places of worship, safe for all people. "We have already demanded that our employers take action to ensure that our health care settings are places of healing, not persecution, and that we can continue to fulfill our legal and ethical responsibilities and duties as registered nurses. We will be meeting with employers to address our concerns about patient care and protections against retaliation. See www.nationalnursesunited.org for the full statement. —Staff report Nurses condemn revocation of policy barring ICE arrests at hospitals Maine nurses vindicated RNs at Northern Maine Medical Center win thousands in backpay victory

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