Ironwood nurses reject Aspirus contract proposal

Ironwood, MI – Nurses at Aspirus Ironwood Hospital voted unanimously Wednesday (Oct. 15) to reject a contract proposal from the employer.

“It’s no surprise that our members spoke loud and clear to tell Aspirus that their unreasonable offer is a no-go,” said Sarah Trudgeon, an RN at the hospital and president of the local Michigan Nurses Association union. “We need competitive wages to keep nurses working at our hospital to provide the best care possible. Under the Aspirus proposal, we would be giving up guaranteed raises for years to come and nearly half of us would make less than we would under our team’s proposal. It’s shameful that just like Aspirus is cutting health care across the U.P., it’s refusing to invest in the nurses who provide the care.”

The nurses rejected the proposal because it:

• Eliminates the wage structure that rewards nurses’ experience
• Provides lower wages than the MNA proposal for nearly half the nurses
• Fails to meaningfully address the impending closure of the OB unit and the nurses’ proposal regarding it. 

Aspirus’s proposal bases future wage increases on “market value” rather than a guaranteed percentage after this contract. Nurses say that fails to deliver the competitive wages needed to attract and retain nurses at the hospital – which is essential to staffing the hospital safely at all times.

Both sides return to the bargaining table on Oct. 24th. Aspirus plans to close Ironwood’s OB unit at the end of the year, forcing women to drive even farther to deliver a baby, despite the state offering funding to support it. 

Nurses on the bargaining team said Aspirus has shown little interest in saving the OB unit or mitigating the effects of the closure. The MNA nurses had to file a federal labor charge last month to force Aspirus back to the bargaining table.

            Nurses at Aspirus Iron River are also dealing with cuts at their hospital. They will hold a rally tomorrow (Friday, Oct. 17) to advocate for a fair contract as they approach the start of bargaining and to protest those cuts, which include elimination of almost all certified nurse aides, addition of charge nurse duties, and the end of overnight emergency surgeries. For more info on Friday’s (tomorrow’s) rally, please see Tuesday’s press release.

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