CMMC Nurses Vote Overwhelmingly to Join Maine State Nurses Association

Registered nurses at Central Maine Medical Center (CMMC) in Lewiston voted overwhelmingly Thursday to join the Maine State Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee (MSNA/NNOC), an affiliate of National Nurses United (NNU). Nurses voted 91 percent yes, 204-21, to form a union.

“We are beyond thrilled to win our union election. Prime Healthcare thought they could silence us,” said Aaron McDaniel, RN in the intensive care unit. “But now we are members of National Nurses Organizing Committee and we will use our voices to speak up loudly for our patients. We’re so proud to join NNOC because we know we will win a contract that will make a drastic difference for our patients and for us as nurses to build a healthier community.”

CMMC was acquired by Prime Healthcare earlier this year. Since Prime began operating CMMC, nurses have cited increased patient loads, a lack of necessary patient care supplies (like clean bed linens), and unilateral cuts to nurses’ pay and benefits. Nurses say they voted to join the union so they could have a real voice in decisions that affect patient care in the hospital.
 

CMMC nurses held an informational picket two weeks ago to protest their employer’s retaliation against nurses who were speaking up and fighting for their patients. Despite these retaliatory tactics from Prime Healthcare, the hospital’s owner, nurses demonstrated their unity and solidarity that resulted in this union win. Nurses at the 250-bed facility say they voted to join the union because it is critical that nurses have a say in making decisions that affect patient care, working conditions, staffing, and recruitment and retention of experienced nurses.

On Friday, CMMC RNs and their community allies held a rally  to celebrate their commanding union election victory.

“You take on one of us, you take on all of us,” said fired CMMC nurse Katie Grinnell, RN. “Prime and CMMC made a bet that we’d scatter to the wind when they started firing nurses for our patient advocacy. But last night, they lost that bet. Their cruelty toward us just made us stronger,” said Grinnell. “We are more determined than ever to win improvements to the lives of nurses and patients at our hospital. Prime should not profit off the backs of us nurses, at the expense of our patients.”

MSNA Co-President Kelli Brennan speaks at a rally in Lewiston Friday.

“We feel the love and support of our community,” said Jesse Buck, RN at CMMC nurse in the cardiac intermediate care unit. “We are so grateful to all of our neighbors and friends who have reached out to let us know they’re pulling for us. And we appreciate all of the elected officials and candidates who have publicly stood with us so far. With this incredible election victory, we can now begin to rebuild our hospital for the benefit of everyone.”

With their election victory, nurses will continue to demand the reinstatement of 20 illegally disciplined coworkers (15 fired and five suspended) and, moving forward, good faith bargaining on a first union contract. Nurses at the hospital will now begin to select their nurse bargaining team members in order to begin negotiations on their first collective bargaining agreement with Prime Healthcare. Nurses across the country are organizing and speaking up systemwide against Prime Healthcare because Prime endangers patients and nurses by putting profits above all else.