Three Rivers Beacon nurses to hold info picket Tuesday (June 24)

RNs are demanding a fair contract amid staffing crisis
 
THREE RIVERS – Nurses at Three Rivers Beacon Health will hold an informational picket on Tuesday (June 24) to demand a fair contract as a staffing crisis continues at the hospital, putting extra strain on nurses and making it harder for them to provide safe, quality care.

The nurses have been negotiating with Beacon executives since January; their contract expired March 31.

“The hospital has been losing almost as many nurses as it brings in,” said Brandy Shoup, RN, president of the local union at the Three Rivers, which is part of the Michigan Nurses Association (MNA). “We’re fighting for improvements so Beacon can attract more nurses and actually keep them here in Three Rivers. We need better wages, better health insurance, and an end to forcing us to work so many extra hours. A strong contract will ensure safer staffing so we can provide the best care possible for our community.”

While the nurses remain committed to bargaining in good faith, the sides remain apart on: 

• Competitive wages that will attract and retain nurses;
• Affordable, accessible health insurance for nurses and their families;
• The hospital’s excessive use of mandatory overtime and shifts for nurses; and
• Staffing guarantees that ensure a safe number of nurses are working at all times.

“Too many Three Rivers nurses are exhausted from years of giving so much to Beacon and not getting enough back,” said Marci Kohlhoff, RN, secretary of the MNA union at the hospital. “Management keeps demanding that we do more with less, and it’s just not sustainable. The solution cannot be forcing nurses to work more and more hours. We need Beacon to step up and fix what’s broken at our hospital so we can do what we care most about as nurses, which is giving quality care to every single patient.”

This contract marks the first Beacon is negotiating in the state since it announced plans to acquire four southwest Michigan Ascension facilities – including two hospitals that have Michigan Nurses Association nurse unions (Borgess in Kalamazoo and Borgess Allegan).
 
WHAT: Informational picket (this is not a work stoppage – all nurses will be participating on their own time)
WHO: Three Rivers Beacon nurses, other MNA nurses, and community members
WHEN: 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 24; speaking portion at 5:30 p.m.
WHERE: Nurses will start from South Lanes Family Fun Center, 1147 W. Broadway St.
VISUALS/SOUND: Nurses in red and community members chanting and holding signs
 
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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