ADRIAN, Mich. — A "practice strike" that about 80 nurses at ProMedica Charles and Virginia Hickman Hospital in Adrian participated in Tuesday was a final warning to the healthcare giant before they issue a 10-day strike notice as contract negotiations continue, according to the Michigan Nursing Association union.
MNA and ProMedica will return to the bargaining table on Wednesday, where the nurses will continue to argue for competitive benefits.
"The last chance ProMedica has to come to their senses," MNA local president and Hickman nurse Tracy Webb said of the strike. "We wanted to show our solidarity, show our strength today, show that we had the whole union behind us."
Webb, who will be part of negotiations Wednesday, thinks ProMedica is not taking the union seriously.
"We're here to show them that we are serious, we are dedicated, we're strong, we have solidarity," she said. "We're not going to stop until we get safe staffing ratios for the hospital."
MNA is demanding a few key items in the next contract, including higher wages, no two-tier retirement system and smaller staffing-to-patient ratios.
According to the union, the highest wage a nurse can make is around $42/hour. They want that to be more than $50/hour.
The union also said ProMedica wants new hires to have a different retirement plan than current nurses.
"We definitely need to hire and get nurses that want to work for ProMedica," said nurse Raquel Flores.
Flores and other nurses said having better benefits will help recruit more nurses amid a nationwide nursing shortage.
Mariah Shores started at the hospital back in July after graduating and had previously worked there as a tech in the past. She said she could've worked elsewhere with better pay.
"I was offered two separate jobs at other places, but this is where my heart was, this is where I wanted to be," Shores said. "I accepted the pay cut. I was offered $36.60 at one location 20 minutes from here."
Shores said she makes $30 an hour now. She knows people who are currently in nursing school who will be looking for jobs soon. If nothing changes, she wouldn't recommend a job at Hickman Hospital.
ProMedica spokesperson Kaylah Benore provided the following statement on the contract negotiations and the potential strike:
"Since September, ProMedica Hickman Hospital leadership has been negotiating with the Michigan Nurses Association (MNA) in good faith. Our goal is to provide care to the communities we serve. We are also interested in reaching a contract with MNA that is fair and market competitive.
Today, MNA held an informational picket adjacent to ProMedica Hickman Hospital to gain media attention. This is not a strike, and the union has not presented a 10-day strike notice. If a strike were to occur, we would work diligently to ensure our action plans support our commitment to providing safe, high-quality care.
We continue to meet with the union representative and bargaining team in hopes that they will further review the information provided and reconsider the union’s position.
"Since September, ProMedica Hickman Hospital leadership has been negotiating with the Michigan Nurses Association in good faith."