The contract for six,200 Michigan Medication nurses expired at midnight Thursday with out addressing the staffing disaster that has created insupportable working circumstances and an unsafe well being care atmosphere for sufferers on the state’s fifth-largest hospital. Michigan.
No new settlement has been introduced and the union has strongly opposed the nurses’ strike, saying it might be unlawful.
On Friday afternoon, the Michigan Nurses Affiliation (MNA) and its native affiliate, the College of Michigan Skilled Nurse Council (UMPNC), launched a bargaining replace stating that the union “hoped to carry you higher information.” , however that Michigan Medication was demanding 101 concessions from nurses within the new contract.
The union’s replace additional defined that hospital administration was refusing to offer the nurses their step pay will increase due in July and have been “as an alternative sustaining the salaries we deserve”. Since Michigan regulation prohibits again pay for public sector workers, the MNA-UMPNC says administration is holding pay will increase over the heads of nurses “as a bargaining chip within the hopes that we are going to make concessions”.
As Michigan Medication continues its provocations towards nurses, the union is searching for to dam any mass motion to battle again. Previous to the expiration of the contract, the MNA-UMPCNC scheduled negotiations replace conferences for Friday night and introduced briefings on July 16, someday after and greater than two weeks after the expiration of the contract, respectively.
Within the union’s announcement that nurses and supporters will picket round Michigan Medication Hospital services in Ann Arbor on July 16, it says, “Now could be the time to face collectively and present the College of Michigan that we’re able to battle. He provides that “Nurses from MNA-UMPNC shall be talking to boost consciousness about what is occurring at our hospital and the actions of College of Michigan leaders.”
Nonetheless, primarily based on every thing that has occurred to this point, it’s clear that the true goal of the union management is to place in place a tentative settlement to dump and have it ratified by the members earlier than the July 16, in order that no picketing ever takes place.
The MNA-UMPNC’s technique has all the time been to make pointless appeals to the College of Michigan Board of Regents, particularly to its Democratic Celebration pals on the board, and to dam any mobilization of nurse pressure in coordination. together with the remainder of the hospital workers and different nurses within the state, all of whom face the identical points.
The day earlier than the contract expired, a Michigan Medication nurse who simply completed a 12-hour shift spoke with a WSWS consultant Healthcare Employee E-newsletter on the battle towards contracts and the necessity to guarantee affected person security.
She mentioned: “Hospitals are a enterprise. It is unlucky. It actually makes our job very tough. I really feel dangerous for sufferers and affected person security. Most nurses solely take care of sufferers. They don’t seem to be sitting right here like, oh, I would like increased wages for this and that. Moderately, there are issues of safety for sufferers. It is principally a enterprise – all healthcare is like that in america. It is not only one place.
“The union nearly break up into totally different unions lately. Many individuals have misplaced religion within the union. I hope issues will finally change.
A sign of nurses’ want for mass motion to win their calls for will be discovered within the FAQ section of the MNA-UMPNC site concerning the negotiation. Among the many questions being requested are the legality of the strike and what’s going to occur after the contract expires. In keeping with the union, as a result of Michigan Medication nurses are thought of public sector workers, a authorized strike can solely be known as “to protest an employer’s alleged unfair labor practices.”
The union repeatedly mentioned for greater than three months that Michigan Medication was bargaining in dangerous religion, but it surely made no preparations for an unfair labor practices strike.
One other query posted within the FAQ is “Has a ULP (unfair labor follow) work stoppage been requested? What’s the distinction between an data picket and a piece stoppage? The union responded that the knowledge picket “isn’t a piece stoppage or a labor disruption.” We hope this sends a transparent sign to administration that we’re critical. »
Exhibiting as soon as once more its refusal of any decisive motion to win the calls for of the nurses, the MNA-UMPNC tweeted on Friday morning, “Day 1 with out contract. Our contract expired at midnight and our nurses are talking out. As a result of our consciences demand it.
The union then printed a remark from a nurse within the new child intensive care unit, who wrote: ‘Ask anybody. I like what I do. A lethal pandemic strikes. Quick-staffed. The entire world is. Obligatory time beyond regulation? Positive. Occasionally, simply in an emergency, proper? Lacking a nurse at 3 p.m.? After all, I’ll come for 4 p.m. Simply in case of emergency, proper? Simply a couple of times, proper?
“Ask anybody. I like what I do. Working 4 nights in a row. 12, 16, 16, 12. Bought out. However that is simply a couple of times, proper? Nonetheless understaffed at 11pm Ding, ding, ding, ding- the texts on my cellphone PLEASE HELP NEED NURSES However that is simply from time to time, proper?
“Ask anybody. I like what I do. Lethal pandemic hits. 3 years. At all times short-staffed. Rent, rent, rent. Educate, train, train. At all times short-staffed. ‘S ‘PLEASE HELP. ANY CHANGES. OT MANDATORY IF THERE ARE NO VOLUNTEERS.’ Each shift A number of nurses For 3 years Ding, ding, ding goes my cellphone However that is only for emergencies, proper?
“Ask anybody. I like what I do. Closing ICU beds as a result of no nurses means no sufferers. However you could possibly have nurses in the event you paid them higher, proper? No? No? Simply shut the beds? We’re working to the bone as a result of we’re nonetheless short-staffed? Effectively, okay. Infants sick, sick, sick. Sicker than we have ever seen. Will we deserve higher? Now? No? Shut extra beds. Shut beds to economize and save workers as an alternative of treating workers as we deserve. However that is only for emergencies, proper?”
Nurses should acknowledge that they’re combating a battle on two fronts. One entrance is towards the administration of Michigan Medication, which is worried with the monetary efficiency of the hospital in addition to the colossal salaries of its administration, not with the standard of care or the standard of working circumstances and well-being. nurses. workers.
The opposite entrance is the battle towards the union, which is linked to the management of Michigan Medication and the College of Michigan by means of the MNA-UMPNC’s ties and assist to the Democratic Celebration. Whereas the nurses’ battle towards Michigan Medication’s push for a brand new concession contract has been happening since mid-March, the congressman did not even report on it till June 16, two weeks earlier than the tip of the contract.
As an alternative, the congressman was busy endorsing statewide Democratic Celebration candidates within the upcoming Aug. 2 main election. Among the many campaigns endorsed by the congressman through the contract battle at Michigan Medication is the re-election bid of present Michigan Legal professional Normal Dana Nessel, who mentioned she is for “a spot of honest and protected work for our state’s healthcare employees in order that Michigan residents can obtain the most effective remedy attainable.
It is a lie. Dana Nessel has not and won’t raise a finger to assist the wrestle of nurses at Michigan Medication or another hospital within the state of Michigan. Nessel, together with Michigan Democratic Celebration Governor Gretchen Whitmer, are a part of the massive enterprise political institution that’s deeply concerned – with the endorsement of unions such because the MNA-UMPNC – in changing the entire of the healthcare trade into an unlimited monetary market. -manufacturing operation for a handful of billionaire traders and their multi-millionaire high executives.
Step one for nurses to cease the hospital and the union from forcing a brand new sell-out deal is to demand a right away strike vote and the adoption of a listing of bargaining calls for primarily based on what nurses and their sufferers want, not what administration says or is. not inexpensive. The contract battle should be taken out of the fingers of the pro-corporate union and a rank-and-file committee should be established to guide the battle as a part of the rising motion of employees in all industries towards concessions and assaults on elementary rights.
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