MARQUETTE, MI-- The following statement was released Monday night by Scott Balko, Operating Room RN and President of the UPHS Marquette Staff Council/MNA:
“On May 22nd, 23rd, and 24th, nurses will meet with Duke LifePoint managers in a last-ditch effort to reach a tentative contract agreement. After more than a year of negotiations, including three outstanding unfair labor practice charges, we are disappointed that administrators still seem unprepared to make specific proposals at the bargaining table.
“If at the end of the day on Thursday we have not reached a tentative contract agreement, we are fully prepared to give notice and set a strike date. Nurse understaffing continues to jeopardize patient safety. Any tentative agreement must ensure that Marquette nurses do not take cuts to health insurance and retirement; such cuts would make it even harder to attract and retain enough qualified RNs.”