Central Maine Medical Center nurses vote overwhelmingly to join MSNA/National Nurses Organizing Committee

RNs vote 91 percent yes to form a union

Registered nurses at Central Maine Medical Center (CMMC) in Lewiston, Maine, voted overwhelmingly tonight to join Maine State Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee (MSNA/NNOC), an affiliate of National Nurses United (NNU), the largest and fastest-growing registered nurse (RN) union in the nation. In an election held today, September 24, nurses voted 91 percent yes (204-21, not including nurses who were suspended or terminated for patient advocacy) to forming a union.

"We are beyond thrilled to win our union election. Prime Healthcare thought they could silence us," said Aaron McDaniel, RN in the intensive care unit. "But now we are members of National Nurses Organizing Committee and we will use our voices to speak up loudly for our patients. We're so proud to join NNOC because we know we will win a contract that will make a drastic difference for our patients and for us as nurses to build a healthier community."

CMMC nurses held an informational picket last week to protest their employer's retaliation against nurses who were speaking up and fighting for their patients. Despite these retaliatory tactics from Prime Healthcare, the hospital's owner, nurses demonstrated their unity and solidarity that resulted in this union win. Nurses at the 250-bed facility say they voted to join the union because it is critical that nurses have a say in making decisions that affect patient care, working conditions, staffing, and recruitment and retention of experienced nurses.

With their election victory, nurses will continue to demand the reinstatement of 20 illegally disciplined coworkers (15 fired and five suspended) and, moving forward, good faith bargaining on a first union contract. Nurses at the hospital will now begin to select their nurse bargaining team members in order to begin negotiations on their first collective bargaining agreement with Prime Healthcare.

Nurses across the country are organizing and speaking up systemwide against Prime Healthcare because Prime endangers patients and nurses by putting profits above all else.

Timeline:

August 24 - RNs at Central Maine Medical Center and Olympia Fields Hospital in Olympia Fields, Illinois, and filed union election petitions because they know that only through unionization can they force Prime to address their concerns about patient care and safe staffing.

September 3 - Nurses at four Prime hospitals across three states - West Anaheim Medical Center in Anaheim, California; Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center in Reno, Nevada; Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital in Chicago, Illinois; and nurses and health care workers at Shasta Regional Medical Center in Redding, California - held one-day strikes to protest Prime's refusal to address their deep concerns about patient care and safe staffing. (Nurses at Saint Mary of Nazareth voted to join NNOC in June.)

September 15 - Olympia Fields nurses held a one-day strike to protest the hospital administration's retaliation against nurses who speak up and fight for their patients. In solidarity with nurses at Olympia Fields, nurses at two Prime hospitals held informational pickets on September 14: Saint Mary of Nazareth in Chicago and Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston, Maine. Also, nurses and health care workers at three Prime hospitals in two states held sympathy strikes on September 15: RNs at Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center in Reno, Nevada and West Anaheim Medical Center in Anaheim, California, and nurses and health care workers at Shasta Regional Medical Center in Redding, California.

September 23 - Olympia Fields nurses voted to join NNOC.

September 24 - Central Maine Medical Center nurses voted to join NNOC.

MSNA/NNOC now represents nearly 300 nurses in the bargaining unit at Central Maine Medical Center. Nurses from Olympia Fields join more than 3,000 health care workers in the Prime system already represented by NNOC/NNU at hospitals nationwide, more than 1,800 of whom are already in active contract negotiations.

Maine State Nurses Association is part of National Nurses Organizing Committee, representing 4,000 nurses and other caregivers from Portland to Fort Kent. NNOC is an affiliate of National Nurses United, the largest and fastest-growing labor union of registered nurses in the United States with more than 225,000 members nationwide.