Nurses at St. Vincent Medical Center in Toledo, Ohio, have rejected a tentative agreement between the hospital and the union representing them, according to The Blade.
Fifty-seven percent of members rejected the deal, Sandy Theis, a spokesperson for United Auto Workers, told the newspaper.
About 950 nurses at St. Vincent struck May 6 over staffing issues, on-call policies and healthcare costs. The strike ended June 12, when the tentative agreement was announced.
Nurses voted on the contract earlier this week.
"The nurses have spoken, and the UAW accepts the outcome,’" Sue Pratt, president of UAW Local 2213 said via a statement cited by The Blade. "We remain committed to achieving a fair contract for nurses, and we remain committed to continuing to fight for changes that will enhance patient safety by reducing mandatory overtime."
The union said the tentative deal addressed "quality-of-life issues," as well as other major concerns raised by nurses. But the statement from UAW said nurses wanted more done regarding mandatory on-call and staffing.
Mercy Health expressed disappointment that nurses rejected the updated contract proposal and said a similar agreement was ratified by unionized St. Vincent technical and support workers on June 2.
"We believe that the rejection was the result of confusion between Local 2213 leaders and the UAW, which resulted in the vote being delayed until this week, although nurses returned to work June 13," hospital officials stated. "Because of our obligations to the community and the trust we have earned with patients and families, we will keep moving forward with our long-term plans to ensure we are fully able to meet our patients' needs now and in the future, as we have for 163 years."
Read the full report here.
More articles on human capital and risk:
Nurses at Children's Minnesota withdraw strike threat
Hospitals and unions: 6 recent conflicts, agreements
Beaumont nurses accuse hospital administration of interfering with unionization