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NewsBriefs_NOV 12/10/10 1:28 AM Page 5 "The decision by EMMC to lock us out is completely consistent with their behavior throughout this process," said Judy Brown, an RN leader at EMMC. "Our concerns over the safe staffing of nurses to patients remain ignored." Hundreds of nurses turned out to walk the strike lines from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., braving snow, sleet, and rain. Nurses from other hospitals, Bangor residents, and members of other unions, such as firefighters and steelworkers, showed up laden with hot coffee, handwarmers, and home-baked goodies to lend support. The strike was a major success. When RNs reported for work on Tuesday morning, they assembled in the cafeteria and returned unit by unit. As each unit was Sen. Al Franken at a press conference for NNU's safe lifting bill Eastern Maine RNs Strike for First Time Over Patient Safety S MAINE teven akerley, a registered nurse at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, knew understaffing was getting intolerable on the floors when the professional practice committee, of which he is secretary, started receiving assignment despite objection forms with notes from colleagues reading, "I cannot physically and mentally carry on like this anymore. I'm tired." Staffing at the second-largest hospital in Maine, with more than 900 registered nurses, had become so bare bones over the last year that one call-in from a sick nurse would spell disaster for the entire unit and even necessitate charge nurses taking on up to six patient assignments. "Now it's just about the bottom line," said Akerley, who has worked at EMMC for more than 30 years and currently practices in the pre- and post-anesthesia care unit. "It's out of control. They want more for less and they don't care where they put you. They say, 'Suck it up or get out.'" But EMMC registered nurses refused to back down, instead making safe staffing a centerpiece of their contract negotiations this year. The RNs wanted to include the hospital's staffing plan in their contract NOVEMBER 2010 language, but management would not entertain this proposal. So nurses voted by overwhelming numbers to stage a one-day strike on Nov. 22 – the first time ever that Maine nurses have walked off the job. EMMC locked the RNs out for two days prior to the strike, spending what RNs estimate is about $1 million on replacement RNs and security, but the hospital's actions just galvanized the nurses. 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 called, the nurses spontaneously broke out in cheers and applause. "For me, that was the most exciting moment," said Akerley. "It showed management, 'You did not beat us down. You did not kick the spirit out of us." ' He added that though the strike took a lot of effort and courage, it was a growing experience for himself and his coworkers. "I can follow through with my convictions," he said. —Staff report N AT I O N A L N U R S E 5