Members of the Maine State Nurses Association/National Nurses United plan to strike March 23 at Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, part of Brewer-based Northern Light Health.
The union represents about 900 nurses at the medical center, according to a MSNA/NNOC news release shared with Becker’s. Northern Light Health is a nine-hospital health system with more than 10,000 employees.
Union members voted to authorize a strike earlier in March. The hospital and union have been in negotiations since July 2025, and the nurses’ contract expired in September. In a statement shared with Becker’s, Ava Collins, president of EMMC, said the hospital “provided the union a very strong offer that recognizes and supports our nurses with direct investments in very competitive wages, benefits, and training and continues to support high quality care for our patients.”
The union contends that management has not adequately addressed their concerns about safe staffing and nurse retention. They are seeking safe nurse-to-patient staffing ratios and protection for nurses’ health insurance benefits. “Everything we are asking for will improve the care of our patients,” Erin Oberson, RN, an EMMC negotiating team member, said in the release.
“We believe our nurses should have the opportunity to review and vote on this offer prior to the union carrying out a strike on the medical center,” Ms. Collins said in her statement. “While we hope the union will give their membership this chance, EMMC is prepared to continue providing care and services for our patients.”
The medical center said it has secured temporary replacement nurses, and due to a required multiday commitment, they will work at the hospital for three days beginning March 23.
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