Jason Huchels, a Nurse at Maine Medical Center and Member of the Negotiating Team.
A Banner That Was on Display During the Informatal Picket Line This Morning in Front of MMC. Mmbers of the Democratic Socialist Party Hold This Sign in Support of Nurses at MMC.
One of Many Signs at the Informational Picket During a Shift Change This Morning at MMC.
Despite the Coldish and Sometimes Rainy Weather This Morning, Hundreds of Nurses and Members of the Community Showed up in Support of the Nurses Union.
“We are not making the progress we had hoped to by now. But, we are getting there. I am confident we will have a contract, but I don’t know when,” said Jason Huchels, a pre-op surgery nurse at Maine Medical Center, (MMC) and part of the eleven member negotiating team this mornng. Jason said that 400 nurses signed up for the informational picket, although he did not have an accurate count of the numbers who actually attended. The occasion was an informational picket held this morning in front of MMC between 7:00 am – 9:00 am during a shift change. Another informational picket will be held his evening between 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm.
MMC management is doing everything it is supposed to do, but we still are not there yet. Recently we’ve been meeting with MMC management once a week because nurses are anxious to get our first contract signed said Jason. Nurses have been bargaining a first union contract with MMC since August of 2021.
The most important issues to be resolved in these negotiations are safe RN-to-patient staffing ratios to ensure safe patient care and competitive benefits and wages for the nurses.
“Our union is our collective voice,” said Mary Kate O’Sullivan, RN, in the medical-surgical department and a member of the union contract bargaining team as well. “I’ve been here for two years as an RN and three years as a CNA. For so long, we have talked about the kinds of changes we waned to make here at Maine Med. Now, we’re finally making them happen by being organized and speaking out together.”
MMC nurses were joined on the picket by many community supporters as well. “The nurses are the people who care for us and our famly members when we are patients at Maine Med,” said Todd Chretian, a local public school teacher. “We want the best for them because they care so much for us.”
Fifty-seven members of the Maine State Legislature signed a letter to Jeff Sanders, President of MMC, Ms.Kathy Coster, Vice Chair of the Board ot Trustees, and members of the Board of Directors of MMC asking it “to negotiate and settle a fair contract in a timely manner.” The first two signatures on the one-page April 27, 2022 letter were those of Senator Troy Jackson, President of the Maine Senate and Representative Ryan Fecteau, Speaker of the Maine House.