Contact:
Ann Sincox
517.853.5520
November 18, 2010
Escanaba – An Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) charge has been filed with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), citing that OSF St. Francis Hospital, owned by the Peoria, IL-based OSF Healthcare system, has refused to bargain in good faith and has engaged in regressive bargaining with its nurses. The ULP was filed by the Michigan Nurses Association (MNA), which represents the OSF St. Francis registered nurses for collective bargaining.
Elements of the charge included:
· The Employer prematurely declared impasse at the bargaining table.
· The Employer unilaterally implemented changes not agreed to by both sides.
· The Employer threatened the nurses with an economic punishment stating that if the nurses did not approve the contract offer by July 2, 2010, a 1.5% wage increase and May 1 step increases would be removed from the offer.
Of major concern is the nurses’ sick leave proposal which has been implemented without approval by the nurses at the bargaining table. The Hospital is proposing that approximately 70% of the nurses’ sick leave bank be eliminated. Under this new proposal, nurses will have to use 16 hours of their PTO before even using the new severely limited sick leave bank.
“This is a classic case of the Employer tightening their bottom line on the backs of the nurses that provide the safe patient care for the Escanaba community,” said John Karebian, MNA Executive Director. “The Employer has shown no respect for the OSF St. Francis nurses and instead has threatened them and ignored their rights under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). The lack of integrity shown by this Employer is appalling.”
###
The Michigan Nurses Association is the largest, most effective union for RNs in Michigan. As the voice of all registered nurses in Michigan, MNA advocates for nurses and their patients at the State Capitol, in the community, and at the bargaining table. MNA is a constituent member of National Nurses United and an affiliate of the AFL-CIO.