Operating Room Nurses at First Light Health System in Mora started turning up in red lipstick while other nurses wore red scrubs to show support as negotiations began on a new contract. Some nurses who couldn’t wear red expressed their solidarity with the bargaining leaders by dressing up their scrubs with a little red flair.
Negotiations began two weeks ago with nurses asking for more seniority rights, addressing scheduling issues, improvements in on-call pay and on-call process, and the use of remaining sick and vacation pay to be used to pay for continuing health coverage for retirees.
Bargaining Chair Margie Odendahl said they’re working to get more first choice shifts for senior nurses and for a percentage of on-call time to count towards seniority.
Nurses also demand that management hold to agreements the staffing committee has already worked out, such as no Friday shifts scheduled when a nurse has that weekend off-unless a nurse is called and asked to come in.
Odendahl has been part of the negotiating team for five contracts at the Mora hospital, and she’s seeing nurses get more involved and engaged than ever before.
“More than I expected. Even with just 60 nurses in our unit. They are more engaged and willing to stand together to achieve a fair contract,” and she added that “nurses are saying if by standing together we can improve our contract and also improve patient care then , ‘let’s go for it.’”
Negotiations continue in July.
