RNs at two Aroostook County hospitals authorized bargaining teams to call a strike

Registered nurses at Northern Maine Medical Center (NMMC) in Fort Kent, Maine, and at Houlton Regional Hospital (HRH) in Houlton, Maine, announced today that they have voted overwhelmingly to authorize their nurse bargaining teams to call a strike if the issues RNs have been raising in ongoing contract negotiations remain unresolved.

The nurses at both facilities are represented by Maine State Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee. NMMC nurses voted to join MSNA/NNOC in January 2024 and are bargaining for their first union contract. In April, Houlton nurses spoke out against the planned closure of the labor, delivery, recovery, and postpartum unit.

“We have been at the bargaining table for 16 months. While we have made very reasonable proposals, the hospital has been very unreasonable by dragging its feet and not making any real progress on our contract this entire time,” said Brad Martinez, RN in the emergency room and bargaining team member at NMMC. “We are fighting for patient safety and the ability to recruit and retain nurses at our hospital. We should be much closer to a deal. Nurses voted to strike because the administration at NMMC has not addressed our concerns about safe staffing and fair pay.”

Houlton nurses share many of the same issues as nurses at NMMC, including safe staffing, recruitment and retention, and fair pay as well as frustrations with the lack of progress in bargaining for a new contract. Jeff Zewe is the CEO at both hospitals.

“Our last contract expired in November 2024. The administration has made delay after delay,” said Brooke Howland, RN in acute care at HRH and a bargaining team member. “We want safe staffing so we can give our patients the best care. Recruitment and retention of staff nurses is a huge issue for us. If a strike is what it takes for the voices of nurses to be heard, then so be it. Our administration could settle this contract now. We encourage them to do so.”

There are no dates set yet for these strikes.  

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.