Aspirus Ironwood nurses to rally Sept. 17 against OB unit shutdown, in support of a fair union contract

Nurses advocate for the community as Aspirus’s betrayal of the U.P. intensifies

IRONWOOD, MI –Aspirus Ironwood Hospital nurses will hold a rally Wednesday, Sept. 17, to protest the planned closure of the OB unit and support a fair union contract amid stalled negotiations. 

“We won’t stand by as Aspirus continues to undermine the health and safety of the U.P. residents it’s supposed to serve,” said Sarah Trudgeon, an RN at the hospital and president of the local Michigan Nurses Association union there. “It is disgusting that Aspirus executives refused to take $1.2 million the state tried to give them to protect OB services at our hospital – they had no right to say no to money meant to help our community. Both at the bargaining table and in the community, Aspirus keeps treating U.P. residents and nurses like we just don’t matter.” 

The Ironwood Hospital nurses have been bargaining with Aspirus for a new contract since May 6. Their current contract expired Aug. 2. The elected RN bargaining team at Ironwood is preparing to make a proposal at the table regarding the OB unit closure when negotiations resume. 

“At our last bargaining session, Aspirus executives walked away and refused to continue negotiating unless we made concessions,” said Angie Butzke, RN, a nurse at the hospital and member of the elected RN bargaining team. “It’s not clear when Aspirus will come back to the table. Our union is strong and we are not interested in bowing down to Aspirus, which seems to think it can railroad the entire western U.P. into doing whatever it wants, no matter the cost to us and our communities.”

The rally will take place from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. CST Wednesday, Sept. 17, at the corner of US-2 and Oak Lane, in Fahrner’s Excavating Materials lot. This is not a work stoppage – all nurses scheduled to work will be doing so, and care at the hospital will not be disrupted. 

Ironwood nurses immediately spoke out against Aspirus’s sudden announcement last week (Sept. 5) that it will close the OB unit there as of Dec. 31, causing women to drive even farther to try to safely deliver their babies. All four of the U.P.’s state legislators have also expressed outrage and frustration about the closure. The cuts are just the latest that Aspirus continues to make to health care in the U.P.

As local media have reported, Aspirus Ironwood refused to accept a $1.2 million grant allocated by the state last year specifically for obstetric services. The Detroit Free Press further reported Wednesday (Sept. 10) that state officials contacted Aspirus 10 times to try to get them to accept the grant, only for the Wisconsin-based corporation to officially reject it the same day it announced the OB unit’s closure. 

The Michigan Nurses Association is the largest union and professional association representing registered nurses and healthcare professionals in Michigan. MNA is an affiliate of National Nurses United and the AFL-CIO.