The union that represents nurses at Indiana Regional Medical Center has given the hospital notice that they will have a one-day strike on Monday, November 26th.
According to a news release from the Indiana Registered Nurses Association, the strike notice served earlier today is coming after several negotiation sessions where, in their words, “little progress has been made at the bargaining table.” The nurses contract expired in October, but both the IRNA and IRMC have been negotiating since August to try to get an agreement in place.
The statement from the nurses association says that while compromises have been made by the nurses, their offers have been met with offers that would result in “steep cuts in take-home pay due to the substantial increases the hospital demands that nurses pay for their healthcare.” They say that the employee contributions in family plans from 2.5 percent to nearly 30 percent. Other sticking points include wages, pension, benefits and paid leave.
The strike would start at 7 AM on November 26th and run for 24 hours.
Indiana Regional Medical Center released a statement this afternoon. IRMC representative Mark Richards said that the hospital has not given its “last, best and final offer” yet, and there are still more negotiation sessions planned. He also directly addressed the issue of health insurance for the nurses union, saying that the nurses “currently pay 2.5% for family healthcare compared to a national benchmark of 32%, and that’s not a sustainable model for our continued independence.”
Negotiations are expected to continue on November 29th and 30th, along with December 11th, 13th and 20th.
To read statements from IRMC and from IRNA, click on the links below:
IRMC Statement 10-day strike notice
111518_IRNA Strike Notice Press Release
