Registered nurses at Houlton (Maine) Regional Hospital have signed a letter of no confidence in the hospital’s CEO, Jeff Zewe, RN, according to a statement shared with Becker’s.
The nurses’ union, Maine State Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, delivered the signed letter July 30 to Lynette McLaughlin, president of the hospital’s board of trustees, according to the Bangor Daily News. The nurses have been working without a contract since the previous one expired Nov. 30, 2024.
Five nurses said in a joint statement shared with Becker’s that the union “has given the board time to address the nurses’ concerns in their letter. Nurses at Houlton Regional Hospital care deeply about our community and the care provided at Houlton Regional Hospital. We are urging the board of trustees to take action now.”
The statement did not detail the nurses’ specific concerns that led to the letter being delivered to Ms. McLaughlin. Prior strikes shed light on the union’s broader concerns. According to the Bangor Daily News, the continued sticking points involve nurses’ concerns about understaffing in the emergency department and intermediate care unit, as well as contract language on staffing standards. The union has asked the hospital to retain safe staffing language from previous contracts and add a third nurse in the emergency department at all times, the Daily News reported.
The hospital said in a statement shared with Becker’s that it is “currently in negotiations with the nurses’ union. By mutual agreement we have been participating in mediation with a mediator provided through the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. We do not expect any changes in operations and will continue to bargain in good faith.”
In a July 30 open letter posted to Facebook, Houlton Regional Hospital’s board of trustees said the hospital was near bankruptcy with approximately one day of cash on hand in May 2025 before entering a management agreement with Fort Kent, Maine-based Northern Maine Medical Center, under which Mr. Zewe took on the Houlton CEO role in June 2025 while continuing to serve as president and CEO of Northern Maine Medical Center.
The board said the hospital has since expanded services, invested more than $2 million in imaging equipment and made “market wage adjustments and enhanced benefits” for employees. “Our priority remains clear: to increase access, provide high quality, accessible healthcare to the people of this region while building a sustainable future for Houlton Regional Hospital,” Ms. McLaughlin said in the letter.
The no-confidence letter follows two strikes in six months, including a walkout in May, according to the Daily News.
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