Management Must Stop Delaying a Fair Contract, Say Nurses; Patients Deserve Better

The Maine State Nurses Association (MSNA) will hold a rally and informational picket at Hospice of Southern Maine (HSM) in Scarborough, Friday May 11, to protest HSM management’s refusal to negotiate in good faith a first contract with healthcare workers, including RNs, hospice aides, social workers, chaplains and others.

“Time is precious for our patients. They deserve an agreement that upholds the best conditions for their care, and they deserve it now. We’re duty bound to protect our patients, and so we will keep standing up and speaking out until we reach a fair and just agreement,” said Polly Pelletier, RN.

What: MSNA Rally and Informational Picket
When: Friday, May 11, 4:30 p.m.
Where: Hospice of Southern Maine, 180 US Route 1, Scarborough, Maine

HSM workers successfully unionized in May of 2017. Since then, they have been trying to reach a first contract agreement, which employees say has been at a standstill, with HSM refusing to bargain in good faith, an assertion recently backed up by a ruling of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

Last week HSM entered into a settlement agreement with the NLRB and MSNA requiring management to cease violating federal labor law and bargain in good faith.

The settlement requires HSM to acknowledge and remedy their violations of national labor law. Specifically, the NLRB found that HSM has been engaging in unnecessary delay in responding to information requests and has failed and refused to provide information essential for the MSNA bargaining team to negotiate. The NLRB also found that HSM violated federal labor law by making a unilateral change to RNs’ schedules.

“Our community deserves safe, compassionate hospice care, provided in a safely staffed facility,” said Pauli Juneau, RN, noting that staffing levels at the Gosnell House are so bad that HSM has closed six beds since 2017.

“Management needs to improve the working conditions, in order to recruit and retain the most experienced staff. There is often a waitlist, and in light of that wait, it’s unconscionable that management would address short staffing and high employee turnover—by simply closing beds.”