Meg Haskell, Bangor Daily News, April 27, 2011 Bangor - With the second nursing strike in six months looming next week, the rhetoric is heating up between administrators at Eastern Maine Medical Center and the approximately 830 unionized registered nurses who work there. The nurses’ threatened one-day strike is set for May 5, with a previously scheduled contract meeting planned for May 3. But Tuesday evening, the two sides announced they will resume talks with a federal mediator on Wednesday in yet another effort to avoid the planned walkout. If Wednesday’s talks fail, hospital administrators say they will bring in replacement nurses for five days ... EMMC

Catherine Pegram, WABI, April 26, 2011 Bangor - Union nurses and hospital administrators at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor are hoping a last-minute bargaining session, scheduled for Wednesday, can avoid a one-day strike next week. But if negotiations fail, hospital officials say they're prepared to lock out nurses for four more days beyond the strike and hire replacements. Nurses have been working without a contract since last fall, saying there's not enough staff to take care of patients. Hospital officials say that's not true. The nurses went on a one-day strike in November and were locked out for two more. ... Union

Associated Press, April 25, 2011 Bangor - Eastern Maine Medical Center nurses have given notice that they intend to hold a second one-day strike as they continue working without a contract. The Bangor Daily News says the nurses' union has issued a 10-day notice calling for a strike on May 5 over what it says is the hospital's refusal to address patient safety concerns related to nurse staffing levels. About 830 EMMC nurses have been working without a contract since September and held a one-day strike in November. Hospital officials maintain that staffing levels are safe and meet national standards. They say the hospital is prepared for a strike and would bring in replacement nurses for the day. © Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Jackie Ward, WCSH, April 25, 2011 Bangor - Patient safety and nurse to patient ratios have been some of the top issues discussed at the contract negotiations meeting and are still unresolved. At a public forum held by the Worker Rights Board of Eastern Maine, a pro-union group, former patients of EMMC spoke about the untimely treatment they had received in recent months. One EMMC nurse says that there's no time to take care of patients properly anymore. Night shift nurses juggle seven patients per shift. "That's not why I came into nursing," Rachel Maidlow, EMMC nurse, said. ... EMMC

Jackie Ward, WCHS, April 25, 2011 Bangor - After months of failing to reach a contract agreement, the Maine State Nurses Association is getting ready to strike for second time at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor. The nurses have been working without a contract since September and the last time the nurses walked the picket line was back in November. Now five months, the unionized nurses say they'll strike on May 5th, even though the next round of contract negotiations is scheduled two days before that on May 3rd. EMMC officials say that their nurses are part of a national agenda that the union has, but that's not helping fix the problems at home. Hospitals across the country ... EMMC

Carolyn Callahan, WABI, April 25, 2011 Bangor - The battle continues between union nurses and management at Eastern Maine Medical Center. Nurses in the Maine State Nurses Association have issued a notice to the hospital for a one day strike on Thursday, May 5th. They went on strike for a day last fall, then the hospital locked them out for two days. Nurses voted earlier this month to authorize a second strike if management failed to move on what the union claims are differences over staffing and other issues. Hospital management says its nurse staffing levels are safe, despite what the union claims. ... Hospital

Meg Haskell, Bangor Daily News, April 25, 2011 Bangor - The stakes are getting higher in the protracted negotiations between Eastern Maine Medical Center and the approximately 830 registered nurses who work there. For the second time in six months, nurse negotiators have issued a 10-day strike notice over what they say is the hospital’s refusal to address their patient safety concerns. At a press conference Monday afternoon, EMMC administrators responded harshly to the threat of a strike. ... EMMC

Jen Lynds, Bangor Daily News, April 19, 2011 Houlton - More than five months after their initial contract expired, nurses at Houlton Regional Hospital have ratified a one-year contract with the facility that includes safe staffing provisions and health and safety language for staff. The contract for the 100 unionized registered nurses, who are represented by the Maine State Nurses Association-National Nurses United, first expired last fall. A short time later, they agreed to a contract extension. Negotiations between the nurses, their union representatives and the administration at HRH started in November. ... Houlton

Meg Haskell & Andrew Neff, Bangor Daily News, April 13, 2011

Bangor - At 3 PM Wednesday, bargaining teams representing Eastern Maine Medical Center’s administration and the 830 registered nurses who work there ended a daylong contract negotiating session without any resolutions or agreements.

A statement released by EMMC community relations representative Tricia Denham said, “We believe we have a responsibility to negotiate a contract that is in the best interest of our patients, employees and the communities we serve ... however negotiations concluded around 3 PM today with no significant developments.”

The two sides will meet again May 3.

WABI-TV5, April 13, 2011 Bangor - Union nurses at Eastern Maine Medical Center will be back at the bargaining table, one day after voting to authorize a strike. In a statement Tuesday, the nurses say the vote is an example of their commitment to patient safety. Nurses went on a strike for one day last fall. Both sides have met numerous times and have not made any progress on a new contract. ... EMMC

Meg Haskell, Bangor Daily News, April 12, 2011 Bangor - Unionized nurses working without a contract at Eastern Maine Medical Center voted on Tuesday to authorize their bargaining team to call a strike if contract talks on Wednesday fail to reach an agreement. “Nurses voted today to authorize” a second one-day strike, Vanessa Sylvester of the Maine State Nurses Association said in an email Tuesday night. “This vote is an example of the nurses’ commitment to patient safety at EMMC.” ... EMMC

Meg Haskell, Bangor Daily News, April 7, 2011 Bangor - With contract negotiations scheduled to resume next week, registered nurses at Eastern Maine Medical Center will vote Tuesday on whether to authorize their bargaining team to call another strike. EMMC nurses staged a one-day strike in November. The Bangor hospital extended the work stoppage an additional two days and brought in about 200 replacement nurses from around the country to care for patients. The two sides have met several times since then without making progress. Negotiations are scheduled to resume Wednesday, April 13. ... EMMC

Meghan Hayward, WABI, April 8, 2011 Bangor - Registered nurses at Eastern Maine Medical Center will vote next Tuesday on whether to authorize their bargaining team to call another strike. Contract negotiations are set to resume next week. Both sides have met several times and have not made any progress. Members of the Maine State Nurses Association say they are concerned that serious under-staffing at the facility compromises the care their patients depend on. Hospital officials say their patient to staff ratio is just fine. ... EMMC

Associated Press, April 8, 2011 Bangor - Unionized nurses at the Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor are going to vote on whether to authorize a second strike. The nurses staged a one-day strike in November, but hospital officials locked out the nurses for two additional days, bringing in replacement nurses to care for patients. The union that represents more than 800 registered nurses and hospital officials have met several times since the strike, but no progress was made toward reaching a contract. The biggest issue separating the two sides is staffing levels at the 400-bed hospital. Negotiations are set to resume on April 13. Both sides say they're hoping they can reach a settlement. The Bangor Daily News says the strike vote is set for April 12.

Mainebiz, January 19, 2011 A nurses' union at Eastern Maine Medical Center that has been negotiating for months for a new contract has filed an unfair labor practices complaint with the National Labor Relations Board. The complaint, filed last week by the Maine State Nurses Association, alleges the Bangor hospital discourages staff nurses from filling out a union document when they feel patient load is putting patient safety at risk, according to the Bangor Daily News. The association said in a release that the hospital intimidates nurses who express concern over patient safety based on staffing levels. But Lorraine Rodgerson, EMMC's vice president for nursing services, told the paper the hospital expects nurses to follow its own process for reporting staffing-related concerns.