Local nurses union rejects contract proposal from Intermountain Health St. James Hospital

The two sides were making progress until June, MNA Labor Representative Emily Peterson said. But in July, Peterson said, the union filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board because the hospital offered a “regressive bargaining package,” meaning it went backward.

The charge alleges the hospital had not been bargaining in good faith.

Filing the charge could give the nurses a path to picketing.

“Those are not anything planned at this point, but just to keep the employer accountable, we did file the charge,” Peterson said.

It could take up to six months for the NLRB to investigate the charge.

Last week, the union brought a contract to its members to demonstrate the proposal did not have support. It was overwhelmingly rejected.

In the past, not every member of the local nurses union would cast a vote on contract proposals, Peterson said, because they weren’t all that worried about its provisions.

Of the 142 eligible members, 130 cast their vote within 48 hours of the five-day period opening. In total, 136 of the 137 voting members rejected the contract.

Peterson explained the contract fell short in a few different ways, including on pay for longstanding and new nurses, as well as reducing additional pay for certification-holding nurses.

MNA has 30 different collective bargaining agreements across the state, and nurses at St. James Hospital are among the lowest paid, Labor Program Director Robin Haux said.

“The nurses aren’t asking to be the highest-paid nurses in the state,” Haux said.

According to a news release announcing the vote to reject the proposed contract, MNA Local 5 nurses want to retain experienced registered nurses, create a contract to help recruit new nurses, ensure Intermountain Health invests in nurses and reward experienced nurses the same as new nurses.

In an effort to drum up community support, the union has distributed more than 700 signs to Butte homes and businesses. Although it’s not unusual to use signs — MNA has used signs effectively in Missoula and Helena — Houx said she has never given out so many.

When asked for comment about the proposed contract, union members’ vote and the current state of negotiations, leadership from Intermountain Health said in an emailed statement they hope to craft an agreement to support nurses while meeting long-term needs of the community and hospital.

“St. James Hospital remains committed to the collective bargaining process and to working constructively with the Montana Nurses Association toward a new agreement. We value our nurses and the important work they do every day for our patients and community,” the emailed statement reads.

The two sides have not yet set a date to return to the bargaining table. Nurses are still working at St. James Hospital while the two sides negotiate terms for an updated collective bargaining agreement.