Nurses union initiated complaint 

The Maine Department of Labor (DOL) has issued a citation to Northern Maine Medical Center (NMMC) for regulatory violations, including misclassifying nurses as subcontractors, failing to pay nurses overtime, failing to pay nurses their wages in a timely manner, and requiring nurses to sign contracts that exempted NMMC from Maine’s labor laws. 

The citation, which listed 77 violations of Maine’s labor regulations by NMMC, followed a complaint initiated  by Maine State Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee (MSNA/NNOC), which represents the nurses at NMMC. 

“Violations like these are why NMMC nurses unionized,” said Brad Martinez, RN in the emergency department. “NMMC played by its own set of rules, until nurses unionized and exercised our power to hold them accountable.”

DOL recently reached a settlement agreement with NMMC that includes:

• Fees to be paid by NMMC, including:
  • $15,706.93 paid directly to three nurses for wages, liquidated damages, and interest
  • $8,750 in fines to the State
• DOL monitoring NMMC compliance for two years, with a possibility of $84,050 in additional penalties for noncompliance with settlement terms
• DOL retraining of NMMC management on Maine Labor Laws within 180 days
• DOL ending of NMMC’s “RN Flexibility Solutions” program

NMMC’s illegal misclassification had resulted in the termination of two nurses. While the terminated nurses received some pay in restitution, they are owed more by the hospital. 

“We call on NMMC to immediately make whole the nurses impacted by their misclassification,” said Terry Caron, RN in the adult behavioral health unit. “This harm could have been avoided entirely, and now it is well past time to correct their mistakes.”

Nurses at NMMC are negotiating their first contract, after winning their union election in January 2024.

“Unfortunately, NMMC’s disregard for the law and for their nurses is symptomatic of the behavior that led us to form a union in the first place,” said Ami Maxwell, RN in the emergency department. “Our union will continue fighting for a level playing field for all nurses and a strong first union contract that ensures the highest standard of care for our communities.”

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.