Borgess nurses unsure if they’ll have jobs after Beacon takeover
Corporation won’t guarantee that all current Ascension employees will stay.
WEST MICHIGAN – Hundreds of nurses at Ascension Borgess Hospital in Kalamazoo and Ascension Borgess Allegan Hospital are left wondering whether they’ll still have jobs after Beacon Health System takes over as soon as next month. Many of them do know for sure that they’ll lose thousands of dollars in health retirement benefits in the transition.
A document provided to employees states, “The employment of all Ascension Southwest Michigan associates and clinicians and associates of related medical practices will directly transition to Beacon Health System as long as you meet the Beacon Health System employment requirements.” The document refers to the possible need for employees to complete “all steps as soon as possible.” However, Beacon has not shared what the employment requirements or required steps are.
Nurses at the Kalamazoo and Allegan hospitals are members of the Michigan Nurses Association (MNA), the state’s largest union for registered nurses and healthcare professionals. They are advocating for guarantees that their employment will continue.
“It’s ridiculous that nurses who have served our community for decades have to worry about whether they’ll still have a job after Beacon’s takeover,” said Lori Batzloff, a nurse at Ascension Borgess in Kalamazoo and president of the MNA local bargaining unit there. “It’s not fair to make us guess about our employment or jump through unknown hoops to keep working. It feels like a punch in the gut to be treated so disrespectfully when it comes to our jobs and our retirement.”
Indiana-based Beacon is purchasing the last four remaining Ascension hospitals in Michigan, including those in Kalamazoo and Allegan.
Nearly 250 contracted workers who provide services at Ascension Borgess hospitals will be laid off as of July 1 due to the acquisition, it was announced recently.
Beacon has failed to meet with MNA representatives since the takeover announcement.
The nurses also slammed Ascension for lack of transparency. Ascension has refused to share the sales agreement covering Beacon’s purchase of the hospitals, which contains important information about how the transition will affect the nurses. Ascension told the union nurses that they would provide the sales agreement only with the caveat that it may not be accurate or complete.
In addition to the Beacon’s lack of guarantees about their employment, the Kalamazoo nurses are upset that those with retirement health care accounts who are not yet “vested” will lose future access to them. The nurses contend that this money is contractually guaranteed and have filed a grievance.
“The last thing our community needs is for nurses to go elsewhere because they don’t know whether they’ll still have jobs here,” said Tina Kaiser, an RN who is president of the MNA local at the Allegan hospital. “We’re asking Beacon to provide job guarantees for local nurses not just for us as employees but also for the sake of our community.”
The Michigan Nurses Association (MNA) is the largest union and professional association for registered nurses and healthcare professionals in the state. MNA is an affiliate of National Nurses United and AFL-CIO.
Contact: Dawn Kettinger, dawn.kettinger@minurses.org, 517-721-9688