Twenty nurses at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston have been terminated or suspended in the days leading up to a union election, according to the Maine AFL-CIO, but Prime Healthcare — which acquired the hospital in February — disputes that the employment actions were related to union activity.
Nurses at the hospital are set to vote Sept. 24 on whether to join the Maine State Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee. The union is an affiliate of National Nurses United and represents more than 4,000 registered nurses and healthcare professionals, according to its website.
The Maine AFL-CIO said Sept. 21 that Ontario, Calif.-based Prime Healthcare had terminated 14 CMMC nurses and suspended six. The union alleged the actions were retaliation for patient advocacy and union organizing.
Prime disputed those allegations in a Sept. 22 statement provided to Becker’s.
“No employee has been suspended or terminated because of union activity or for exercising protected rights,” the health system said.
Prime said 15 nurses have been separated from employment and five employment matters remain pending. The system said the actions stem from documented violations of hospital policies and standards, including alleged patient abandonment, timekeeping violations, disruption of patient care and other conduct affecting patient care or safety.
“Union activity does not exempt any employee from the same professional responsibilities to uphold basic patient care, safety, attendance and workplace hospital policies that apply to everyone,” Prime said.
Maine Gov. Janet Mills called on CMMC President and CEO Allen Stefanek to reinstate nurses the union deems were wrongfully terminated or suspended in a Sept. 23 letter, according to CBS affiliate WGME, citing concerns about staffing, patient safety and Prime’s compliance with conditions tied to its acquisition of Central Maine Healthcare.
Ms. Mills said her administration issued a certificate of need in 2025 approving the acquisition. She said the Maine Department of Health and Human Services later began reviewing Prime’s compliance with staffing requirements after receiving complaints and media reports about staffing shortages and quality-of-care concerns.
“The decision to fire or suspend 20 nurses only heightens concerns that Prime Healthcare is failing to meet its commitments under the CON approval, which requires that essential health services for patients be maintained in accordance with acceptable standards for quality and safety,” Ms. Mills said.
Ms. Mills also said DHHS, acting as the state agent for CMS, had conducted a site visit at CMMC and was reviewing quality-of-care and safety concerns related to staffing. She added that failing to do so would show that Prime was prioritizing corporate interests over commitments it made to the state regarding care quality.
The Maine AFL-CIO and nurses’ union contend the disciplinary actions are part of a broader pattern of retaliation against nurses who have raised concerns about working conditions and patient care at Prime hospitals.
Maine AFL-CIO President Cynthia Phinney called on Prime to reinstate the affected nurses, saying they were exercising their legal rights to organize and advocate for patients.
“It is appalling that a for-profit corporation like Prime would so brazenly and illegally retaliate against healthcare workers exercising their legal right to organize and advocate for their patients,” Ms. Phinney said. “These dedicated nurses are organizing for a stronger voice in their workplace to effectively push for improvements in working conditions and patient care. We demand that Prime immediately cease its union busting and reinstate nurses it suspended or fired for exercising their federal right to form a union and speak up for their patients.”
Prime said it respects nurses’ rights to support or oppose union representation and participate in legally protected organizing activity. The system said it has experienced organizing activity that allegedly interfered with hospital operations and patient care, including individuals entering hospitals under false pretenses or using patient and visitor access to distribute organizing materials.
Separately, Prime sued the California Nurses Association, an affiliate of National Nurses United, as well as NNU, alleging the union targeted its CEO and other executives and their families with harassment and intimidation near their homes.
Prime characterized the organizing campaign as part of a coordinated effort involving its hospitals across the country.
“We respect the rights of our nurses to support or oppose a union and to participate in legally protected organizing activity,” Prime said in a statement. “At the same time, we believe employees deserve to understand the increasingly aggressive tactics being used as part of a coordinated corporate campaign against Prime Healthcare hospitals throughout the United States.”
The dispute at CMMC comes amid labor actions involving nurses at several other Prime facilities. Nurses and healthcare workers at Prime hospitals in California and Nevada held sympathy strikes Sept. 15 in support of nurses at Olympia Fields (Ill.) Hospital, according to the Maine AFL-CIO. Nurses at Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital in Chicago also held an informational picket.
Prime said it is investing millions of dollars in infrastructure, technology, staffing and clinical services and argued that many concerns raised by union organizers predated its ownership.
“Our focus remains on caring for our patients, supporting our care teams and maintaining the highest standards of safety and quality,” Prime said.
