SAULT STE. MARIE — After weeks of failed negotiations with MyMichigan executives, union nurses officially went on strike Monday morning.
More than 80 nurses are on strike. They plan to picket from 6:45 Monday morning, 24 hours a day, until Saturday morning.
Union nurses have been without a contract since the first of the year. Since then, there have been 14 meetings to negotiate with no success.
The union president said they are fighting for wages and benefits comparable to other medical centers in the MyMichigan system. That, in return, would help retain quality nurses.
One lifelong Soo resident, emergency room nurse Alexis Laaksonen, has a family and wants to stay in the area.
“I don’t want to leave, but if I have to, it is unfortunate. I really don’t want to leave. This has been my dream career,” said Laaksonen.
MyMichigan executives said they offered Soo nurses similar wages and benefits as other nurses in their medical system.
“We have given them a significant offer. If they give our nurses the opportunity for the nurses to vote on it, I feel they will ratify it,” said Kevin Kalchik, president of MyMichigan Medical Center Sault.
Another round of negotiations are slated for Thursday. Kalchik said nurses from other MyMichigan medical centers are filling in during the strike.
