Ingham Regional revises proposal on staffing issues.
Nicole Geary, Lansing State Journal, October 28, 2005

Ingham Regional Medical Center and the union representing its striking nurses are expected to resume negotiations today after the hospital submitted a revised proposal Thursday on staffing issues.

The talks will end a negotiating standstill that has lasted more than a week.

Mediators scheduled a meeting for 9 AM today; neither side would divulge details, but union officials said the development is a positive step. ... Nurses

WLNS, October 26, 2005

Two weeks into the strike at Ingham Regional Medical Center, nurses get their first paycheck for standing on the picket line. The union gives each nurse $240 for their time on strike.

Two weeks into the strike,the nurses unite on the picket line arefinally compensated for their time and energy.

Lisa Driver, RN, Ingham Regional nurse: "I  picked up the checks at noon, and I'm giving them out now on the line." ... Update

Hospital asks nurses to hear contract details.
Lansing State Journal, October 25, 2005

With no plans yet to return to bargaining, the Ingham Regional Medical Center has invited all striking nurses to learn more about its contract offer during three meetings today.

But members of the Office and Professional Employees International Union Local 459 pledged solidarity against attempts to entice them back to work without an agreement. ... The strike began Oct. 12. Staffing and pensions are two key points of contention. ... Ingham

Lansing State Journal, October 23, 2005

No talks have been scheduled between Ingham Regional Medical Center and the Office and Professional Employees International Union Local 459 as the strike by about 500 nurses extended to 11 days on Saturday.

Union officials said Saturday that talks are planned with its membership. ... No

Beth Shayne, WILX, October 22, 2005

As of midnight last night, Ingham Regional Medical Center will no longer provide benefits to their nurses who walked off the job 10 days ago. It's not their legal responsibility to provide coverage to striking employees. In a statement, Chief Marketing Officer David Eich tells us: "It was time. We can no longer afford to pay for benefits for people who aren't working for us."

As the walking wears on, bank accounts dwindle for both the hospital and the nurses. This decision on benefits forces the issue of paying bills both financially and emotionally. ... Ingham

Striking workers see move as attempt to lure them back.
Nicole Geary, Lansing State Journal, October 22, 2005

Ingham Regional Medical Center planned to cut off all insurance benefits for about 500 striking nurses as of midnight Friday.

Hospital officials said Friday they can't afford to continue coverage because the strike, which started Oct. 12, won't likely end soon.

But some union nurses said the move is an attempt to lure them back to work. ... Ingham

WLNS, October 21, 2005

Nurses on the picket line in front of Ingham Regional Medical Center will lose their health benefits as of Midnight. The nurses received a letter with their final paychecks from the hospital, signed by the CEO, saying that their benefits would be terminated. ... Striking

Hospital accuses union of changing staffing demands.
Nicole Geary, Lansing State Journal, October 20, 2005

A war of words between Ingham Regional Medical Center and striking nurses escalated Wednesday.

The hospital accused the union of moving backward, and nurses were steamed over an advertisement Ingham published in Wednesday's State Journal.

They said the ad wrongly inflates pension payouts and other benefits for current employees. ... Ingham

WLNS, October 20, 2005

Ingham Regional nurses on the picket line get their last paycheck from the hospital until the strike ends, but already, some nurses are worried about how they will make ends meet until hospital officials and union leaders can see eye to eye.

Some nurses say they'll rely on help from their spouses or their savings, but many of them are already looking for work, either part time to hold them through the strike, or full time if the strike doesn't end soon enough. ... Many

Tracy Burton, Lansing State Journal, October 19, 2005

Striking nurses turned down an Ingham Regional Medical Center proposal Tuesday, saying it won't resolve staffing issues.

Union officials representing about 500 nurses at the center said staffing remains the key issue of contention, and they want the hospital to hire more nurses.

The hospital offered to form a committee to review staffing issues. ... Ingham

Mediator says offer addresses staffing concerns.
Stacey Range, Lansing State Journal, October 18, 2005

Six days after walking off the job, nurses at Ingham Regional Medical Center were presented Monday with their first proposal to end the strike.

Federal mediator Don Power said hospital management made an offer in regard to nurses' complaints about staffing. Power would not provide details on the offer.

Union representative Joseph Marutiak and David Eich, the medical center's chief marketing and services officer, declined to comment on the negotiations. ... Ingham

WLNS, October 18, 2005

After 3 hours of talks, nurses and hospital officials at Ingham Regional Medical Center are still in a deadlock. As nurses continue to picket along Greenlawn, both sides met through a federal mediator, but hospital officials say they stand by the offer they've already put on the table, to assign a staffing council to regulate nurse to patient ratios for each hospital floor. ... Update

Round-table discussion with mediator tries to clarify issues in Ingham strike.
Nicole Geary & Hannah Northey, Lansing State Journal, October 16, 2005

Ingham Regional Medical Center nurses prepared Saturday to go into their fifth day of striking after a meeting with hospital officials produced no agreement.

The Lansing hospital continues to operate without more than 450 registered nurses who stopped reporting to work Wednesday. More than 200 nurses from a private company are working in their place.

Hospital and union officials met for about four hours Saturday, federal mediator Don Power said. ... No

Barbara Wieland, Lansing State Journal, October 13, 2005

Nurses at Ingham Regional Medical Center and hospital managers share a wish that the nurses' strike will end soon.

But that hasn't always happened in Michigan.

A strike of registered nurses in Petoskey is nearing its three-year anniversary with no resolution in sight.

The nurses, members of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 406, walked off the job on Nov. 14, 2002.

They were seeking their first contract with Northern Michigan Hospital. ... After

Associated Press, October 12, 2005

Lansing - Registered nurses at Ingham Regional Medical Center went on strike Wednesday.

David Eich, the medical center's chief marketing and services officer, said negotiations between the two sides were scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.

Officials said the hospital has added temporary nurses to its staff and is operating normally during the strike.

Officials for the Office and Professional Employees International Union Local 459, which represents 445 nurses at the medical center, said staffing levels are the main issue for the union. ... Ingham