EMMC labor dispute worries state officials

Representatives from the Maine State Nurses Association met with Gov. John Baldacci’s chief counsel and other state officials in Augusta late Wednesday afternoon in hope of enlisting support for nurses embroiled in a labor dispute at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor.

MSNA spokeswoman Vanessa Sylvester said everyone is eager to avert the 24-hour nursing strike scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 17.

“If there’s any way the governor’s office can help avoid the strike, we’d appreciate it,” Sylvester said after the meeting. “But we really need a voice in patient care at EMMC.”

David Farmer, spokesman for the governor’s office, said that in addition to Sylvester, those in attendance at the meeting included Judy Brown, president of the hospital’s bargaining unit; Mike Mahoney, Baldacci’s chief counsel; and Labor Commissioner Laura Fortman and a member of her staff. MSNA laid out its perspective on the stalemate but didn’t request any specific intervention, he said.

After the meeting, Mahoney contacted EMMC and is scheduled to discuss the situation by phone with administrators there this morning.

“At this point, there is no formal role for the governor’s office,” Farmer said. “Even if we want to get involved, it would require the permission of the federal mediator and all parties concerned.”

Farmer added that Baldacci’s primary concern is for the health and welfare of those who live in the EMMC service area. At the governor’s request, Anne Jordan, commissioner of the Department of Public Safety, contacted emergency response officials in the area to make sure ambulance and other key services would not be affected by the anticipated nursing strike.

EMMC nurses negotiating a new contract are deadlocked with the hospital over establishing a committee for nurses that would bypass nurse managers in making recommendations for staffing levels. An emergency meeting with a federal mediator is scheduled to take place this morning in Bangor.