Legislators Urge Northside to Resume Negotiations
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio --State legislators representing the Mahoning Valley today called on Tennessee-based for-profit owner, Community Health Systems Inc., to return to the bargaining table and "negotiate a fair and equitable contract with its workers at Northside Medical Center."
The Youngstown General Duty Nurses Association is set to stage a one-day strike at Northside Medical Center Tuesday morning. The Mahoning Valley lawmakers plan on joining the picket line tomorrow morning at 7 a.m. Meantime, the hospital says it's filed unfair labor charges against the Ohio Nurses Association, and threatens to fire nurses who fail participate in the strike (READ STORY).
Negotiations for a new contract with nurses at the facility have hit an impasse, as terms initially proposed by the employer have the potential to undermine nurses’ ability to speak out about issues like safety and patient care, the legislators say in a joint news release. Nurses currently have the contractual right to bring up such concerns, they add.
“A fair and equitable agreement is in the best interest the nurses, their patients and the Valley community as a whole,” said Rep. Robert F. Hagan, D-58. “Rather than stifling the concerns of those that care for our loves ones in their times of need, Community Health Systems Inc. should return to the bargaining table.”
YGDNA members are also concerned about Community Health Systems Inc. proposals that "could lead to the rationing of nursing care at the hospital," states the legislators.
“It is imperative that Community Health work to resolve reasonable care concerns in a responsible and timely manner,” saud Rep. Ron Gerberry, D-59. “Listening to the people charged with taking care of our community members is a fundamental step in ensuring the quality of care that we all want and expect from our local hospitals.”
“It is my hope, that for the sake of the residents of the Mahoning Valley and their ability to receive quality healthcare, we can resolve these issues by resuming negotiations as soon as possible,” added state Sen. Joe Schiavoni, D-33. “Collective bargaining and the cooperation that it can lead to through fair negotiations is a value that runs deep in the Mahoning Valley, and I am certain that progress can be made if both sides of the current dispute make the effort to return to the negotiating table to find an agreement.”
SOURCE: Legislators' news release,
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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