Nursing Union Derides Munson Healthcare For Blocking National Nurses Week Events; ‘More To The Story,’ Munson Leaders Say

“‘No pizza for you,’ Munson execs tell nurses for Nurses Week.” So proclaimed the headline of a press release sent to northern Michigan media by the Michigan Nurses Association (MNA) on Thursday. In the release, Munson nurses claim that Munson Healthcare has interfered with several volunteer-led efforts to recognize local nurses during a nationally-recognized nursing appreciation week.

“For National Nurses Week (May 6-12), nurses at Munson Medical Center planned to honor their colleagues by handing out candy, energy drinks, and pizza,” the press release states. “But Munson executives shut down the volunteer activities. They sent security to turn away nurses Tuesday morning who had volunteered, on their own time, to distribute treats to coworkers at the hospital.”

The press release also claims that Munson leadership “put a damper on the rest of Nurses Week,”  cancelling “union members’ plans to distribute pizza to fellow nurses working this Friday and pastries to those working on Mother’s Day – even though Munson nurses have done similar activities many times in the past.”

“We just wanted to do something to show appreciation to fellow nurses and honor each other,” said Munson nurse Laura Nilsson in the MNA press release. Nilsson is identified as “one of three nurses who volunteered to pass out treats Tuesday and was turned away” by Munson Healthcare security. “I’m extremely disappointed that management denied us the ability to do even these little acknowledgments for each other. Nurses Week is an important opportunity to recognize our profession and we should be able to celebrate it together.”

“There is an old joke in nursing that all your employer gives you for Nurses Week is free pizza – but in this case management has decided we can’t even do that for each other,” another Munson nurse, Megan Slater, said in the release. Slater is described as “a union steward and another of the three nurses that were turned away Tuesday.”

“There’s no reasonable justification for what they’ve done,” Slater continued. “We hope Munson executives change their minds about allowing nurses to carry out these Nurses Week activities. No matter what, we are here for each other and nothing can change that.”

Per the release, “nurse leaders” from the union “brought up the cancellation in meetings with management” this week, but the issue was “not resolved.”

Munson leadership, meanwhile, contend there is “more to the story” than what the MNA press release communicates.

“It has come to our attention there is information circulating on Nurses Week that is not accurate,” said Jenn Standfest, Munson Healthcare's chief nursing officer, in a written statement provided to The Ticker. “We have a full week of events planned across our northern Michigan region for Munson Healthcare nurses recognizing the profession and unique contributions they make to our teams. There is more to the story related to MNA events. We look forward to working with the MNA in the future to coordinate these in advance, so they go more smoothy. Our focus is on what really matters this week: how much we all appreciate our nursing team members.” 

An affiliate of National Nurses United, the MNA is “the largest union and professional association for registered nurses and healthcare professionals in Michigan,” according to its website. The Traverse City Munson Nurses Association is the local bargaining unit of the MNA.

Pictured: Munson nurses Megan Slater, Laura Nilsson, and Dagmar Cunningham on Tuesday, preparing to distribute treats to fellow nurses at Munson Medical Center.