Eastern Maine Medical Center locks out nurses

[herring_RN, ASN, BSN]

bangor, maine-a group of eastern maine medical center nurses-some dressed in their work scrubs-showed up for work early saturday morning even though they had received a notice saying they would not be allowed into the hospital.

the nurses, who plan to hold a one-day strike on monday to push for changes in patient-to-nurse staffing levels and other items in their pending three-year contract, were told not to come to work and to stay off hospital property on saturday and sunday.

"we're not allowed down there," a 23-year veteran nurse from winterport said standing on the side-walk at the corner of state street and hancock street in front of the hospital. "trespassing is what they would charge us with. we got a written notice."...

... "what was really hard for us was leaving our patients yesterday and knowing we would not be back to care for them," cokie giles, president of the maine state nurses association who has been an emmc nurse for 22 years, said surrounded by her fellow nurses.

"there has been a lot of tears," she said. "it's a very difficult thing to ask nurses to strike and leave patients. that is not in our nature. it's not in our makeup, but we need more nurses on staff. we need more nurses to care for our patients."

around 70 emmc nurses have volunteered to be on-call if the hospital needs them for an emergency, she said, adding that, "eastern maine is a great place to work and i'm very proud to work here."...

http://new.bangordailynews.com/2010/11/20/health/emmc-locks-out-nurses/

[herring_RN, ASN, BSN]

..."we're just here to support the nurses," said ron green, a firefighter-emergency medical technician for bangor fire department, who stood with his wife, emily. "we, the firefighters, bring patients to the nurses every day and know how understaffed they are."

charles longo jr., who was elected to the bangor council earlier this month, said he was standing with the nurses because he wanted to "support the people who take care of us."

"i'm on the side of the patient," he said....

http://new.bangordailynews.com/2010/11/20/health/emmc-locks-out-nurses/

[nicurn001]

As the anti unionist always equate a nursing strike with nures abandonment of patients .Where is their outrage when as in this case the employer forces nurses to abandon their patients for 5 days , whilst the strike would have only covered 1 day .

[herring_RN, ASN, BSN]

as the anti unionist always equate a nursing strike with nures abandonment of patients .where is their outrage when as in this case the employer forces nurses to abandon their patients for 5 days , whilst the strike would have only covered 1 day .

and the communication between management and the nurses ready to help in the event of an emergency was not yet in place when the hospital locked out their nurses.

planning for nurses familiar with the hospital policies and maine state regulations had bee ready for monday.

around 70 emmc nurses have volunteered to be on-call if the hospital needs them for an emergency, she said, adding that, "eastern maine is a great place to work and i'm very proud to work here."...

http://new.bangordailynews.com/2010/11/20/health/emmc-locks-out-nurses/

[PNP1965]

As the anti unionist always equate a nursing strike with nures abandonment of patients .Where is their outrage when as in this case the employer forces nurses to abandon their patients for 5 days , whilst the strike would have only covered 1 day .

As a anti union person, I am equally outraged at this hospitals actions! I would never condone this behavior.

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

[color=#3b5a7a]emmc nurses return to bedsides after strike, lockout

by [color=#3b5a7a]meg haskell on nov. 23, 2010, at 3:23 p.m.

bangor, maine-registered nurses at eastern maine medical center returned to their patients on tuesday following a two-day lockout on saturday and sunday and a one-day strike on monday. though the drama of the three-day work stoppage and a flown-in work force of 215 temporary replacement nurses induced heated ...