ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) —
A nurses’ strike could be looming at Mission Hospital.
It depends on the outcome of negotiations over the next few days, as hospital officials and the nurses’ union are at the bargaining table trying to hammer out a new contract.
The Mission Nurses United contract expires July 2, and the union has indicated a willingness to strike if hospital officials don’t “show movement at the bargaining table,” a post on the union’s Facebook page said.
“We made some progress at bargaining yesterday, but HCA still doesn’t understand: their proposals won’t do enough to make our hospital safe. Our nurse bargaining team is recommending that nurses pledge to strike,” a Facebook post from early Friday said.
STATE FINDS MISSION HOSPITAL IN COMPLIANCE AFTER MONTHS OF SCRUTINY
Mission Health officials on Friday called a strike “unnecessary, given the serious efforts we have invested in bargaining since mid-April.”
“We would be disappointed in National Nurses United leadership if they made the decision to strike,” HCA Healthcare Division Public and Media Relations Director Nancy Lindell said. “In addition to our current wage increase proposals, Mission gave a $20 million increase in annual wages outside of the current contract and above and beyond that agreement.”
Lindell went on to say nurses are an important part of Mission Hospital’s care team.
“We remain committed to reaching a contract agreement that is fair and equitable and allows us to continue to provide the excellent patient-centered care our community deserves,” she said.
But video from a nurses’ rally posted to Facebook on Thursday hinted that the bargaining process has been rocky.
“We continue to show up in good faith at the bargaining table and are met with disrespectful, pathetic offers and flat-out stonewalling on the crucial needs for a safer, healthier Mission,” bargaining team member and OR nurse Quinn Mullis said at the rally.
At the crux of that is staffing.
In the video, Mullis said instead of staffing shifts at the needed levels, the hospital has been using on-call employees to fill the gaps.
Instead of scheduling procedures and surgeries according to the staff available, Mission has been using on-call staff when our units are understaffed, she said, noting that the pay for being on call hasn’t changed in over 20 years.
“Calls should be used for real patient emergencies but is instead being used for the staffing shortage emergency that HCA has artificially created by regularly understaffing the department in an effort to save a few bucks,” Mullis said.
She asked what would happen when there’s a real emergency and all the on-call staff are already working.
“Western North Carolina deserves to know we will be there without any delays in care. We want to take care of our community and show up in their most critical moments, but the rampant abuse of our time has to come to an end,” Mullis said to cheers and applause.
MONITORS PRESSURED TO HOLD MISSION ACCOUNTABLE
Mullis went so far as to call the staffing situation at Mission “dangerous.”
“Every nurse in units like OR (operating room), PACU (post anesthesia care unit), labor and delivery, pre-op, cath lab (cardiac catheterization lab) and more has horror stories of how dangerous it is to run the unit without any available call staff,” Mullis said. “We will not be silenced anymore.”
Nurses began holding rallies in April when negotiations on their next contract began.
It is unclear whether the two sides will continue working on an agreement over the weekend.
However, if a strike were to happen, Mission Hospital is prepared and would remain open, Lindell said.
“We are thankful to be part of HCA Healthcare which has resources to support our patients’ needs. We have taken proactive measures including contracting with fully qualified, licensed, and certified nursing staff who can provide high-quality care to the communities we serve,” she said. “Our commitment to exceptional patient care and safety will not be compromised as the region’s destination for advanced clinical services.”
