A union representing about 800 nurses at Eastern Maine Medical Center has voted to authorize a strike if the hospital doesn’t include more patient safety measures in a new contract.
The Bangor Daily News reported that the Maine State Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee are preparing to strike if a new contract for nurses doesn’t address “critical issues impacting patient safety.” The original contract for union nurses expired at the end of May and has been extended through June 18.
EMMC has previously said that including strict patient-nurse staffing ratios, a measure sought by the union, would hurt the hospital’s ability to adapt to shifting finances and patient volumes.
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