ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — A majority of nurses who participated in a recent round of voting at Mission Hospital have decided to authorize the union bargaining team to call for a strike, “should they deem it necessary,” a news release from National Nurses United (NNU) announced on Monday. NNU said 97 percent voted in favor of authorizing the strike, but the total number of nurses who voted has not yet been released.

Mission Hospital and its unionized nurses have been at the bargaining table since April, trying to settle their differences and reach a new agreement. Their most recent contract — ratified in 2021 — was the nurses’ first union contract, and it expired July 2, 2024. NNU represents more than 1,600 registered nurses at Mission Hospital, but not all are due-paying members.

Nurses at the bargaining table say they’re frustrated by HCA’s failure to meet their demands and proposals regarding nurse retention and ensuring meal and rest breaks for nurses, Sunday’s release said. The nurses union has claimed HCA refuses to address numerous patient safety issues — a claim Mission Health has continually refuted.

“A strike vote does not mean that a strike is currently scheduled,” Sunday’s release said. “Rather, this vote authorizes the bargaining team of nurse representatives to call a strike if they deem it necessary to successfully resolve contract negotiations. If nurses decide to move forward with a strike, they would provide hospital management with 10 days’ notice to allow time for planning for patient care. At any time in the process, the nurses have the option of calling off the strike if an agreement with HCA is reached.”

“Nurses come to the bargaining table with one main goal: to ensure a strong contract so that every patient gets the highest quality of care,” said Kerri Wilson, a registered nurse at Mission Hospital, in Monday’s press release. “But it is clear that HCA is more invested in maximizing profits than ensuring we have the staff and the resources to protect our patients’ safety. With this strike authorization vote, we are making it clear to HCA that we will do whatever needs to be done to improve patient care.”

A Mission Hospital bargaining fact sheet urged nurses to consider several factors before casting their votes.

“The union’s latest false claim that you must choose between striking or ‘accept(ing) the hospital’s pitiful offers’ is simply untrue,” the fact sheet said. “We have additional bargaining dates on Aug. 27 (during the vote), Sept. 9 and Oct. 4, and the hospital is willing to agree to additional subsequent dates as well. There is no deadline or ultimatum and, whether there is a strike or not, bargaining will continue until we have an agreement.”

Hospital officials said they do not anticipate any impact on patient care.

“We are fully prepared to operate through a strike and are confident that it will be safe for our patients and for any nurse who makes the personal decision to cross the picket line,” according to the fact sheet.

Nancy Lindell, a spokesperson for Mission Health, released the following statement:

“It was fully expected that the union would claim overwhelming support for a strike as this is a common bargaining tactic, especially from this union. The union has seemed intent on striking long before bargaining began.

If the union decides to move forward with a strike, Mission Hospital is fully prepared to remain open and provide care for our patients. We have plans in place allowing us to be confident that it will be safe for our patients and for any nurse who makes the personal decision to cross the picket line.

As we continue to say, a strike is unnecessary and it would be more productive for the union to bargain in good faith as we have done for months and are committed to continuing, so we can move forward together in caring for patients.”

828newsNOW has reached out to National Nurses United for a total voter count.

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