Registered nurses at Munson Medical Center (MMC) are turning up the heat in their contract negotiations with Munson Healthcare. The Traverse City Munson Nurses Association (TCMNA), the union representing MMC nurses, has announced plans to hold a “practice strike” at the hospital on Thursday, April 9. The strike is part of TCMNA’s ongoing efforts to hammer out a new union contract with Munson, given that MMC nurses have been working without a contract since March 10.

As The Ticker reported on Sunday, TCMNA is seeking a three-year contract with Munson that would carve out pay increases, benefits protection, more input when it comes to staffing levels at the hospital, and safeguards around artificial intelligence. In particular, TCMNA claims nursing staffing levels at MMC aren’t keeping pace with growing demands for care, and that experienced nurses are leaving northern Michigan because of lackluster pay.

During the April 9 practice strike, MMC nurses will demonstrate on the sidewalk outside the hospital from 4:30-6:15pm. According to a TCMNA press release, the strike “is not a work stoppage” and “all nurses will be participating on their own time.” TCMNA leaders describe the strike as a shot across the bow intended to push contract negotiations forward.  

“While our team remains committed to bargaining in good faith to reach a fair contract, it’s clear that Munson management is not taking nurses’ concerns about safe staffing, nurse retention, and AI guardrails seriously,” TCMNA President Laura Nilsson in the press release. “It’s hard to make progress when Munson keeps rejecting the constructive proposals that nurses are bringing forward at the table. A practice strike is our way of sending a clear message that nurses won’t settle for a contract that fails to support nurses and protect patients.”

Per the release, Munson Healthcare and TCMNA “remain far apart on nurses’ priorities of safe RN staffing, retaining experienced nurses, and ensuring that skilled RNs – not AI algorithms – drive patient care.”