National Nurses United

NewsBriefs:October 2007 10/18/07 5:08 PM Page 7 Maine RNs Approve Pioneer Contract e g i s t e r e d n u r s e s at Eastern Maine Medical Center won a pioneering victory with a new contract overwhelmingly ratified on Oct. 13, capping a long summer filled with actions and averting a planned strike. The battle was especially pitched because of the intent to introduce new contract language and guidelines regarding patient safety. Such principles are "already a gold standard in California," but are considered groundbreaking in Maine, according to local president Judy Brown, RN. Thanks to the perseverance of Maine nurses and CNA/NNOC organizers, these once-radical new principles are now a part of 840 EMMC RNs' professional atmosphere: The agreement now grants EMMC nurses union leave, safe staffing provisions, and the creation of a Professional Practice Committee. The agreement further includes contract language assuring that medical technology will be used to enhance quality care and not to supplant or degrade nursing practice. Most importantly, the agreement lays out bargaining unit protection by guaranteeing that employers cannot reclassify nurses as "managers," thus removing them from union representation. CNA/NNOC intends to use the EMMC agreement as a starting point to bring the same essential protections and professional improvements to the rest of the state's nurses. Employers all over Maine have taken R In October, CNA/NNOC Council of Presidents member Deborah Burger, RN traveled to Yuba City to show support for the striking nurses and found herself in the same hotel as strikebreakers brought in from out of town. Eavesdropping on their conversations, Burger heard some familiar objections. "They were all complaining about how FremontRideout had floated them between hospitals, floated them to units for which they weren't contracted," said Burger. "They were upset that Fremont-Rideout had changed their shift hours and put them in rotating shifts without notice." The strikebreakers' complaints are similar to some of the main grievances that led staff nurses to the August and October strikes. In fact, FRHG's poor treatment of both permanent and traveling staff have forged an unusual alliance. "We had three traveling nurses from the August strike who stayed on staff. They told me, 'Tonya, don't back down. This is the worst administration we've ever seen.'" Rodriguez related with a chuckle. As of press time, FRHG had set no further negotiating dates with CNA/NNOC. Nurses who returned to work on Oct. 12 were faced with a lock-out, just as they were on Sept. 1. —erika larson OCTOBER 2007 note of the call to improve working conditions for nurses and are making efforts to confound such progress. Some employers attempted to make strong statements to nurses by filing unit clarification (UC) petitions in a preemptive attempt to reclassify nurses as 'managers.' "Two employers attempted to put us on the defensive by filing UC petitions shortly before a contract came up for renewal," said Fernando Losada, NNOC collective bargaining director. Home Health Visiting Nurses of Maine, a part of Maine Health, the largest healthcare employer in Northern New England, is one such facility. "We fought back hard [when they filed the UC petition]," Losada reported. "We did major demonstrations and received good press." These efforts paid off on Sept. 26, when Maine Health withdrew its petition. Down East Community Hospital had also filed a UC petition, but withdrew after RNs threatened to no longer do voluntary charge. Nurse response to the threat of UC petitions has been so successful and unified that a third facility whose contract is up for renewal declined to file a UC petition. The unity of EMMC nurses was "incredible," Losada said. RNs at the facility took two strike votes, with 75 percent of the unit authorizing to strike both times. A successful candlelight vigil on Sept. 24 of more than five hundred people was covered intensely by local press and proudly supported by the local community. Many other contracts in Maine will be coming up for renewal in the next several months. The EMMC campaign and agreement has set a precedent for the state of Maine, demonstrating to employers that CNA/NNOC nurses will not be intimidated or short changed. The RNs' landmark agreement is not the only unique characteristic of EMMC. It is also the largest, and was the first, unionized hospital in Maine. EMMC RNs constitute half of Maine State Nurses Association, CNA/ NNOC's Maine membership. The agreement lasts for three years. The previous contract had expired Sept. 30. —erika larson MAINE W W W. C A L N U R S E S . O R G REGISTERED NURSE 7

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