Unionized nurses at University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington intend to hold a strike vote June 10, 11 and 12, according to a Seven Days report.
The vote will determine whether the nurses have the option to strike in the near future. Their current three-year contract expires July 9. The nurses could decide to issue a 10-day strike notice to the hospital on June 29, according to the report.
However, a strike could be averted if both sides reach an agreement. Julie MacMillan, RN, the union's lead negotiator, told Seven Days that's the union's hope as nurses are calling on the hospital to invest more in wages for workers to improve patient care and staffing levels.
Annie Mackin, communications strategist for the medical center, told the publication the hospital is "engaged in a planning process" to prepare for the possibility of a strike, but is committed to good-faith bargaining until both sides reach a labor deal. She said the hospital hopes a mediator is brought in to negotiations.
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