About 200 unionized nurses at The Aroostook Medical Center in Presque Isle, Maine, have notified the hospital of their plans to strike for two days over staffing concerns, according to a Bangor Daily News report.
The workers, represented by the Maine State Nurses Association, on Tuesday delivered a 10-day advanced notice of their plan to strike July 22 and 23 in the event contract negotiations are not resolved by that time, the report states.
The union is pushing for the hospital to hire more staff. Specifically, the MSNA wants a ratio of one nurse for every three patients — a proposal the hospital said it rejected because it would lack flexibility.
TAMC officials said in the Bangor Daily News they don't want a strike but are preparing for it.
"Our community should rest assured that we will have highly qualified replacement nurses working alongside TAMC staff to provide the high level of care our patients expect," Jay Reynolds, TAMC's CMO, said, according to the report.
Both sides have met six times in the past few months negotiating a new contract. The last contract expired July 7.
More articles on human capital and risk:
Nurses protest over staffing at Saint Louis University Hospital
Thousands of Mercy Hospital workers to vote on possible strike
Patient surveys drive new nursing staff dress code at Geisinger