Bonner County Daily Bee, May 8, 2008 Sandpoint - The negotiating teams for Bonner General Hospital and the registered nurses, represented by the Teamsters Local 690 Union, announced today that they reached a tentative agreement on a two-year contract at 9 PM on Tuesday, May 6. Both teams will unanimously recommend ratification of the new contract to the registered nurses. The teams also agreed not to release details of the agreement until May 15, when voting on the contract by the registered nurses is completed. Federal mediator Connie Weimer of Portland, Ore., assisted the parties.

Marlisa Keyes, Bonner County Daily Bee, August 18, 2006 Sandpoint - A majority of Bonner General Hospital's registered nurses voted in favor of union representation Thursday. "The nurses won the rights to be represented by the Teamsters," said Val Holstrom, president and business representative for Teamsters Local Union 690, in a voice mail message early Thursday evening. The nurses voted 51-45 in favor union representation, said Sue Fox, BGH director of development. Four ballots were not opened after the union challenged them because they were cast by supervising and charge nurses. ... BGH

Low wages, grievance policies weigh in latest attempt. John Stucke, Spokane Spokesman-Review, August 12, 2006 Registered nurses at Sandpoint's Bonner General Hospital will decide Thursday whether to join the Teamsters Local 690 of Spokane. It's the third time in recent years that the 112 nurses at the hospital have been asked to organize. Previous attempts failed and today there are no unions representing any of the hospital's 398 workers. ... Bonner

Marlisa Keyes, Bonner County Daily Bee, August 9, 2006 Sandpoint - Bonner General Hospital nurses will vote Aug. 17 on whether or not to unionize. The nurses are seeking a written contract that would provide job security, a grievance process, and accountability for administration and staff, said one nurse, who asked not to be identified because she fears for her job. The emphasis is not on pay raises, she said. "We don't feel like we're being represented," she said. "People are being fired all the time." ... Vote

Hospital Denies Nurses' Request for Voluntary Recognition. Teamsters Local 690, July 17, 2006 A majority of the over 100 nurses at Bonner General Hospital (BGH) in Sandpoint, Idaho were denied their formal request to form a Union by CEO Sheryl Rickard. Rickard claimed that a union would hinder communication between the nurses and administration. She further stated that she would fight the nurse's attempts to form a union because it was not good for the community or the hospital. ... Teamsters