On Nov. 20, nurses from Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor were locked out by management in retaliation for a planned one-day strike. The nurses were sent a letter stating that they would be charged with trespassing if they attempted to enter the hospital.
Along with being locked out of their workplace, 215 scabs were hired promptly to replace all the locked out nurses. Hundreds of nurses and their supporters took to the streets on Nov. 22 with signs that demanded “Patients Before Profits.”
The nurses have been negotiating for a new contract since last July. They are demanding increased staffing levels and enhanced job security. Management is opposing any of the workers’ proposals that will make their jobs safer for themselves and their patients.
As long as there is a for-profit health care system, workers and their patients will continue to be neglected.
