by Timothy McQuiston Vermont Business MagazineThe University of Vermont Medical Center is preparing to get back to a regular work schedule Saturday morning after a nursing strike sent about 1,700 union members to the picket line for 48 hours starting Thursday at 7 am.This is the first nursesstrike in the hospital's history.
Nurses were scheduled to strike during what would be their usual shifts. Of the 1,800 unionized nurses, 93 elected to go to work on Friday, a few more than the hospital reported came to work on the first day of the strike.
UVM Medical Center President Eileen Whalen said Friday afternoon that the hospital is ready to welcome back all nurses starting Saturday morning.
She said they've budgeted $3 million to cover the full cost of bringing in nearly 600 replacement nurses, though they will not know the full costs, higher or lower, until a full accounting is taken after the strike.
She said they are not planning any contingencies for a future strike, which the union has left open as a possibility. Nurses will now work without a contract until a new deal can be struck. The three-year deal expired July 9.
As for the "healing process,"Chief Medical Officer Isabel Desjardins, MD, said, "I would not characterize this as a rift." She said it's now time to pause and discuss what comes next. "This is Vermont," she said. "We are Vermonters,. This is what we do."
Desjardins said that everyone who works at the hospital lives in the community and has been apatient at the hospital.
She also said that, "The doctors have been the glue. And I'm very proud of them."
Whalen also dispelled a couple of rumors. One was that the hospital would lock out the nurses on Saturday. She said all nurses would be welcome back, which is what she has reiterated throughout the process. She said there have not been any security incidents and acknowledged that two Pinkerton guards had been added to the usual security staff. Another rumor was that some doctors refused to go ahead with some procedures. All medical procedures, she said, except some elective surgeries which were already re-scheduled, have proceeded as normal.
As for the biggest dispute - wages - she said the union request of a 23 percent increase over three years was "unrealistic" and that the 13 percent increase counter-proposed by the hospital was itself a stretch.
Talks between the two sides broke down late Wednesday night after several days of late-night negotiations in an effort to avert the labor action. Talks on a new three-year contract began in March. Nurses have complained of staffing shortages and wages not commensurate with peers in similar hospitals. The wage issue also affects turnover and exacerbates staffing problems, they've said.
They've asked for a 23 percent raise over three years, while the hospital has countered with an average 13 percent increase. The difference for RNs, for instance, would result in an average wage of about $84,000 under the hospital's proposal and $92,000 under the union's.
Nurses, represented by theVermont Federation of Nurses &Health Professionals,began the strike at the main campus hospital as well as at the Fanny Allen offices in Colchester and at other satellite offices in the area, as well as for a short time at the Central Vermont Medical Center in Berlin, though nurses there are not part of thestrike. CVMC is a member of the same University of Vermont Health Network.
The hospital earlier this week brought in nearly 600 replacement nurses to cover for the striking nurses. The hospital maintains that the only disruption will be the re-scheduling of about half (68) the elective surgeries. All emergency and critical care services will be fully operational.
Staffing levels at the hospital remain at typical levels on the first day of the strike.UVMMC spokesman Michael Carrese told VBM: "We had the same number of nurses in the hospital today as we would on any other day (which fluctuates according to patient census).275 in the hospital, and 90 in the outpatient clinics to be precise."
In an automated message to community members received on home phones Wednesday night, the union said it was going on strike and gave a brief explanation. The message also said in part,"We invite you to join us on the picket lines as we continue to fight for the resources needed to provide quality care for you, our patients."
Union Vice President Deb Snell and lead negotiator Julie MacMillan hosted a rally at noon featuring nurses from Champlain Valley Physician's Hospital in Plattsburgh, NY, and Baystate Franklin Medical Center in Greenfield, MA - where nurses just settled a contract after a year of negotiations and two strikes. Senator Bernie Sanders also called in to offer his support.
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