Our Community Supports Nurses at Maine Med

Submitted by ADonahue on

On Tuesday, January 12, nurses at Maine Medical Center petitioned the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) for a union election to join the Maine State Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, an affiliate of National Nurses United, the largest nurses’ union in the United States, with more than 170,000 members.

When nurses have a collective voice, patients are protected. Maine Med RNs deserve:

  • Safe staffing standards to provide us with the kind of optimal, quality care nurses want to give.
  • A stop to health and life–disrupting work shifts that force nurses to rotate between day and night.
  • Proven infectious disease control measures at work to protect nurses and keep us safe: That means optimal personal protective equipment, regular testing, contact tracing, and more.

We urge Maine Med administration to respect the rights of nurses to decide for themselves whether to form a union, in a free and fair election, and to end its campaign of harassment and intimidation. Our families, our neighbors, and our community all rely on Maine Med nurses to advocate for us when we are sick, injured, and at our most vulnerable. It’s our turn to advocate for them and to respect and support their voice. Our safety and well-being are in their hands.

 

Maine Med Nurses are voting Yes

 

We're Voting Yes

For MSNA/NNOC/NNU

Join your fellow MMC RNs in voting YES.

Read the Flyer

 

 

Friends of Maine Medical nureses Facebook group

 

Friends of Maine Med Nurses Facebook Group

Friends of Maine Med Nurses is a community of Mainers who support our nurses as they work on the front lines of this pandemic. We support their right to organize a union so they can more effectively advocate for a safer workplace for themselves and for us - their patients.

Join the Facebook Group

 

Community Support Videos

Sarah asks Maine Med nurses, “vote yes for my daughter”

 

Andy and his family support Maine Med nurses

 

Allison asks Maine nurses, “vote yes for me and my family”

 

We support Maine Nurses graphic

 

Letter of Community Support

Elected officials and community leaders stand in strong support of the nurses efforts to unionize at Maine Medical Center.

"By speaking with a strong, collective voice, you will be able to address workplace issues and further improve patient care at Maine Medical Center. The people of Maine depend on Maine Medical Center for our health care, and the nursing staff are at the forefront of this critical service. You deserve a workplace environment where your important professional work is respected, and your voice is heard."

Read the Full Letter

Additional Statements of support

Governor Janet Mills

“Vaccinating out-of-state contractors who came here to disrupt a union organizing effort was an insult to the hardworking nurses trying to assert their rights and to those who are waiting patiently for their turn – the 80 year old grandmother who hasn’t seen her family in months, the man being treated for cancer, the teacher wanting to return to the classroom, the grocery clerks and delivery drivers who are exposed to the public and working to put food on the table.” Read the full statement

U.S. Representative Jared Golden

“I am grateful to you for your dedication and hard work as caregivers and patient advocates... Across the state of Maine, many workers like you have made the choice to join a union, and union membership is on the rise. These workers support your right to make a similar decision amongst yourselves. Please know that I stand with you and will strive to provide you with the support you justly deserve. ” Read the full letter of support

U.S. Representative Chellie Pingree

“Your courageous efforts over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic underscore just how critical your skill and experience are to keeping our state healthy. The pandemic has made it clearer than ever that a safe and sustainable workplace is fundamental to delivering high quality patient care. As frontline providers, you deserve to be able to bargain collectively to determine your workplace conditions. ” Read the full letter of support

Senate President Troy Jackson

“In the middle of a deadly global pandemic, the nurses at Maine Medical Center, like most frontline workers, haven’t blinked, going above and beyond to be there for patients... While nurses are putting in long hours, providing first-class patient care, MaineHealth has been fighting tooth and nail against unionization at the expense of Maine people. ” Read the full statement

Senate Majority Leader Eloise Vitelli

“Our frontline workers are exhausted; every day they’ve gone into work to care for their patients in the toughest of circumstances. Nurses at Maine Medical Center are speaking up and demanding change... Fair wages and decent benefits for our frontline workers shouldn’t be a controversial issue.” Read the full statement

Assistant Senate Majority Leader Mattie Daughtry

“...Maine’s frontline health care workers haven’t had a chance to catch their breath. They’ve dealt with shortages of personal protective equipment, staffing issues... and extraordinary loss. It’s why we’re seeing health care workers across the country band together to form unions to protect themselves and improve patient care” Read the full statement

Press

‘For our patients and community’: Why nurses at Maine Med are getting organized

Maine Beacon

To Jackie Fournier and other nurses at Maine Medical Center, there are many reasons why forming a union would be beneficial. But chief among them is the ability to better care for those they serve. “This is for our patients and for our community,” said Fournier in an interview with Beacon about the ongoing organizing effort among the nursing staff at the state’s largest hospital. Read the full article

 

Maine Med Nurses Trying To Unionize Amid Pushback From Bosses

Maine Public

“This is pretty much all patient-driven. We saw gaps in the care that our patients were able to receive because of policies,” said Janel Crowley, a registered nurse who has worked in the hospital’s neonatal intensive care for a decade. “That’s why we’re trying to get this seat at the table, to really deal with the people who make the decisions that have no real direct line to the bedside.” Read the full article