Nurses will vote on June 10, 11 and 12 about whether to initiate a two-day strike once the current three-year union contract ends on July 9. If a majority of members want to walk out, the union would serve the hospital a 10-day strike notice on June 29.
MacMillan said the 1,800-member union is working to nail down more bargaining dates with the hospital in the hopes of reaching a resolution before a strike. Wednesday’s vote gives the bargaining committee further proof its membership is serious about its demands, she said.
The bargaining team met with the hospital three times last week, but the sides were unable to come to an agreement. The union claims that nurses and ancillary workers are underpaid, leading to understaffing and worse patient care. MacMillan expressed discontent that the hospital invested in a video monitoring system for patients that require constant monitoring instead of investing in wages for staff members who could better care for patients.
“We are very discouraged that the hospital has not responded to our very serious safety concerns,” said MacMillan.
She said the nurses are further discouraged that the hospital has begun recruiting “scab” nurses — temporary staff to fill positions in the event of a strike — rather than engaging with the nurses’ demands.
In an email to Seven Days, Annie Mackin, communications strategist for UVM Medical Center, confirmed that the hospital is “engaged in a planning process” in the event of a work stoppage, but she declined to share further details.
Mackin said the hospital still has more than enough time to reach an agreement with the nurses and said that it is committed to negotiating in good faith until a fair contract is reached. She said the hospital hopes the nurses will agree to work through a mediator as mediation has brought about successful resolutions in past years.
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How does one negotiate “in good faith” while at the same time recruiting scabs to cover a possible strike?
Sounds disingenous to say the least.
Patients, not profits!
Anyone who thinks that a video monitoring system can replace a nurse has no idea what nursing is about. As an RN at another institution, I support the nurses at UVMMC.
When will the state of Vermont just take over UVMMC so we can have universal health coverage that wont bankrupt us?
Ill even settle for just some transparency around hospital pricing.
UVMMC got RID of the video system because it was not working, yet didn’t replace staff to keep patients safe. The nurses are not getting a fair deal from this. At ALL! UVMMVC bought up all the surrounding hospitals and the Burlington campus business went UP 20%- as those hospitals now send people here, yet our RN’s are paid LESS by 30% and work 50% harder.
Nurses should be paid more than UVM professors.
What are the nurses asking for that the hospital won’t agree to? Why do none of these articles report any specifics about the negotiating positions?
Kudos to Annie Mackin for her brilliant euphemism for hiring scab labor – “Engaged in a Planning Process”. The phrase is inclusion-worthy of the Urban Dictionary, if not outright copyright protection! The potential revenue stream derived from other bad-faith labor contract negotiators would likely prove substantial, and could pad many a UVMMC management bonus!
On a weekly basis since February, I have spent countless hours receiving chemotherapy under the care of highly trained, skilled and competent professional nurses. I am deeply offended that hospital management believes a scab could step in and provide comparable care. I am currently making arrangements to have my treatments at another hospital should the UVM nurses strike. I encourage other patients who place their lives in the hands of nurses to join me in recognizing that they deserve to be paid a comparable wage to their colleagues in the region. It is a NO BRAINER.