Blake Medical Center nurses vote to strike if they don’t get a new deal soon
Nurses at Blake Medical Center and eight other Florida hospitals have cast an overwhelming vote to strike if they don’t soon get a new contract.
In all, nurses at 15 hospitals affiliated with Hospital Corporation of America could strike. Doctors Hospital of Sarasota is also an HCA hospital.
The nurses’ former contract expired in May, and the vote to strike was taken Aug. 24.
Nurses demonstrated outside of Blake in July to urge hospital administration to address key concerns related to nursing shortages and retention. The shortages have led to a serious concern from nurses that critical care is being jeopardized.
Union representatives feel like the message was not received, and negotiations have reached an impasse .
According to the National Nurses United website, information obtained from Blake Medical Center showed the burn unit was 95 percent out of compliance with staffing needs, as one example.
Brandie Stewart, an RN at the cardiovascular intensive care unit at Blake was quoted on the website in July saying, “As patient advocates, it’s our job to speak up for the conditions that support optimal care. We want our hospital to address the turnover rate in nursing staff and take active measures to make sure all units are in compliance with the hospital’s own staffing grid.”
National Nurses United notes that there has not been a strike date set and if a strike was called, they would give each hospital 10 days notice to prepare for the nursing shortfall.
Blake Medical Center spokeswoman Melissa Morgan said the hospital hopeful a contract will be settled before a strike occurs.
“We want to assure our community that neither this — nor any other action — will ever come between us and our commitment to the high-quality care and services we offer our patients and this community on a daily basis,” Morgan said. “In the unfortunate event that the union should decide to strike, we will utilize all available resources to ensure we have the staff to continue providing for our patient’s needs.”
Also at stake for the nurses are concerns over the lack of nursing experience. More than 55 percent of the nurses at Blake have fewer than three years experience with 40 percent being on the job less than 18 months. The nursing union — National Nurses Organizing Committee — wants the hospitals to come up with a retention plan to ensure experienced nurses remain on staff.
The union did not immediately respond for comment to to provide additional details on a possible strike date.
Morgan said the threat of strike, ”Is not uncommon for tactics like this to be used when a union and an employer are in contract negotiations, as we are with this nursing union. We have bargaining dates scheduled later this month and we look forward to the union’s response to the proposal we provided to them back in July.”