Down East Community Hospital’s nurses and technicians will begin a two-day strike on Tuesday morning.
The union gave Down East Community Hospital 10-days notice after a nearly unanimous strike pledge, according to the Maine State Nurses Association, which represents about 50 nurses and technicians there.
The two-day strike will start at 7 a.m. Tuesday and end at 6:59 a.m. Thursday.
“This strike will have minimal impact on patient care, but some services will be moved to other days to accommodate patient needs. The only significant impact will be on the OB unit which will be closed and on diversion starting Monday April 29th at 7am and will reopen at 7am on Thursday May 2. Currently, we do not expect this to have an impact on patient care, but we are unfortunately unable to staff this area during the strike,” Down East Community Hospital said in a social media post late last week.
That comes as both sides have become bogged down in contentious contract negotiations in recent months. Negotiations began last September, and the nurses and technicians have been working under the conditions of their most recent contract, which expired Oct. 18, 2023.
“For the nurses and technicians this is about making sure all of us who live in our community have the care available locally that we all need,” said Berta Alley, a registered nurse in the infusion clinic and chief nurse representative and negotiator. “We wish the hospital had the same priority.”
“Right now, instead of working with the nurses and trying to solve these issues to serve our community, the hospital is offering significantly more money to other staff to work during the strike,” Alley said. “These are resources the hospital could be investing in the community to recruit and retain our part- and full-time permanent staff.”
Among the chief issues between the opposing sides include wages, as well as recruitment and retention.
The union said that the hospital had a net asset gain of $20 million between 2019 and 2022, the most recent year for which that information was available.
“This is about prioritizing our community and our patients,” said Joelle Jackson, a medical lab tech and steward and negotiator. “Unfortunately, that’s just not what we see happening.”
Down East Community Hospital told The Maine Monitor in a statement that it doesn’t have the resources of the state’s larger health systems, saying it has been “extremely competitive” in its wages.
“Our focus remains on providing safe, compassionate, and high-quality care to our community,” Down East Community Hospital said in the statement to The Maine Monitor. “While contingency plans are in place to address potential strike action, DECH remains hopeful that a resolution can be reached through open dialogue and negotiation. Patients and their families can be assured that DECH will continue to provide safe, quality healthcare services.”
