Staffing cuts at Aspirus Iron River will hurt patient care, nurses say

Hospital eliminated essential nurse aide positions, altered nursing coverage

IRON RIVER, MI – Nurses at Aspirus Iron River are sounding the alarm about sudden staffing cuts at the hospital, saying the elimination of nurse aide positions and changes to nursing coverage will hurt patient care.

Aspirus administration told the nurses, who make up a local unit of the Michigan Nurses Association, last week that it is eliminating virtually all certified nurse aide (CNA) positions in the hospital and adding responsibilities to the charge nurse helping on the emergency and medical-surgical units. (A charge nurse is meant to provide backup to other nurses as needed throughout the shift and not be assigned a patient load.)

The CNAs, who are represented by AFSCME, do a variety of important work, including taking vital signs, testing blood sugar levels, removing IVs and catheters, performing EKGs and making sure patients can use the bathroom in a timely manner. They are vital to communications during emergencies and the placement and transfer of critical patients.

“We have gone unheard for months asking for additional staff for the safety of our patients only be told now that we will have to do more with even less. We are all really worried about how our patients will receive proper care and be kept safe with these staffing cuts,” said Nicole Fedie-Zaupa, an Aspirus Iron River nurse who is co-president of the local MNA union.  

“The work that our CNAs do makes a huge impact and it will take a big toll on the patients when nurses have to take on those extra duties," Fedie-Zaupa said. "We have many elderly, cognitively impaired, and mentally ill patients who often require one-to-one care. These cuts are short-sighted and potentially dangerous.”

The Iron River nurses say Aspirus sprung the changes on them, violating the contractual obligation to include nurses in the hospital’s staffing plan and discuss any changes with them. Aspirus administration has also failed to show the nurses plans about how the new staffing will work. The nurses have filed an official grievance asking for reinstatement of the previous staffing.

The unilateral staffing changes come as bargaining is set to start soon between Aspirus and the Iron River nurses; the contract expires Dec. 31. MNA nurses at Aspirus Keweenaw will also begin bargaining soon, and their contract also expires this year. MNA nurses at Aspirus Ironwood are already in bargaining, working under an expired contract.

“If Aspirus is using these staffing cuts to try to intimidate us or bust our union, they should know that nurses are united and ready to do what needs to be done to win a fair contract,” Fedie-Zaupa said. “Our community deserves the best care possible, which is the opposite of the staffing cuts that the number-crunchers in Wisconsin are ordering. We’ll always advocate for what’s best for our patients.”

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.
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