Today, registered nurses at the newly unionized Northern Maine Medical Center (NMMC) in Fort Kent, Maine, were joined by members of the local community as they marched on NMMC management to demand the reinstatement of their co-worker Tiffani Daigle, RN, announced Maine State Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee (MSNA/NNOC).

The delegation delivered a petition demanding Daigle’s reinstatement to NMMC management. The petition has more than 600 signatures, including nurses, other hospital staff, and community members.

The nurses voted to join MSNA/NNOC on Jan. 17. The RNs formed their union to improve patient care and staffing, especially recruitment and retention within the hospital, and to protect necessary health care services for their community.

NMMC management terminated Daigle on Jan. 25. Daigle has worked at NMMC for 10 years, including five years as a registered nurse in the emergency department.

“Tiffani is an excellent nurse,” said Abby Pelletier, RN in the emergency department. “She’s just one of those people who, you know, always puts patients first. Any one of us would be happy to have her take care of our own family.”

“We decided to join the union because we wanted a voice to advocate for our patients and our community,” said Brad Martinez, RN in the ICU. “How does Jeff Zewe (CEO of NMMC) respond? By firing one of the most dedicated patient advocates in our hospital and in our community. We want Tiffani back in our hospital, caring for our patients, right away.”

“How will we keep nurses in our hospital if we are not treated fairly by the hospital administration?” asked Ashley Plourde, RN in the emergency department. “In addition to winning patient safety provisions, we’re going to make sure that we also win protections for nurses who speak up for our community. This is why we joined MSNA.”

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 nearly 225,000 members nationwide.