Asheville Mission nurse strike vote days away; 'can't pee or eat at work'

ASHEVILLE - In a sign of escalating tensions with Mission Hospital owners, nurses will soon vote on whether to authorize a strike over work conditions they say leave them so understaffed they can't use the bathroom or eat.

Nurses will vote over four days starting Aug. 25 on whether to give union leaders authorization to call a strike. While labor leaders might not actually do that, a yes vote would add pressure to ongoing negotiations between nurses and Mission's owner, the Hospital Corporation of America.

Voting will end Aug. 29 with results likely known that evening or the next day, said Elle Kruta, a local union leader and nurse case manager with more than 20 years' experience.

A majority of the 1,600 union and non-union nurses has already signed strike pledges, Kruta told the Citizen Times Aug. 20, though she declined to say that meant a majority would likely vote for the strike.

"I really can't speculate on that," she said, adding, "what people should know is the whole purpose of this is we want to provide good quality care."

The nurse union's contract ended July 2 with the for-profit HCA, which bought the non-profit Mission Health system − the biggest in Western North Carolina − for $1.5 billion in 2019, adding it to a collection of hospitals that is the biggest in the country.

Since then, nurses and HCA management have been negotiating over a new contract and in mid-July appeared to have gotten closer on some issues. But by the end of the month, local union leaders said there were still many disagreements, including on pay, staffing, extra money for holiday and night shifts, paid time off and protection from workplace violence.

Kruta, the local union leader, declined to talk about details of negotiations, but the local union's Facebook page listed those points of disagreement.

The July 31 post said HCA had rejected a nurse demand to be paid on an experience-based pay scale. It also said understaffing meant they could not be guaranteed food and bathroom breaks.

"We often can't pee or eat at work because we are caring for our patients," the post said.

Areas of tentative agreements include providing fun "scrub tops" for pediatric nurses, having more health care experience count toward pay, making parking easier and having tech not replace judgement.

The next scheduled negotiation for nurses and management is Aug. 27.

Asked Aug. 20 about the areas of disagreement and the strike authorization vote, Mission/HCA spokesperson Nancy Lindell said nurses were important and the company was committed to reaching a "fair and equitable" contract agreement.

But Lindell went on to accuse the union, which is part of the California-based National Nurses Union, of bargaining in bad faith.

"It is disappointing that the union continues to mislead its members as we have bargaining dates scheduled this month, next month and in October. If the NNU leadership does choose to go down their pre-determine strike path, Mission Hospital will remain open. We have taken proactive measures including contracting with fully qualified and licensed nurses that are ready to step in to make sure our patients receive the medical care they need and deserve," she said.

Should local union leaders call a strike, federal law requires they give 10-days' notice. The union has said it would be a brief one-day action, though leaders acknowledged the hospital could shut them out for longer.

Nurses at HCA-owned facilities in multiple other states were also getting close to a strike, according to statements from local union leader, nurse Mark Klein in a June 28 post on the Mission Nurses United Facebook page.

Rachel Berger, a spokesperson for the California-based National Nurses United, under which Mission nurses are organized, declined Aug. 20 to say whether those nurses in states such as Florida, Nevada and Kansas were also preparing for strike votes.

Since buying Mission five years ago, HCA has faced headwinds, including the unionization of its nurses, exit of many doctors, deaths of patients that government regulators said resulted from staffing problems and lawsuits − possibly the most substantial of which involves allegations by North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein that HCA violated its purchase agreement by not maintaining levels of care in emergency services and cancer care.

More: Mission/HCA still has chance to open South Asheville emergency room: NC Court of Appeals

Independent monitor: HCA broke Mission purchase deal; ER, charity care, Medicare

Joel Burgess has lived in WNC for more than 20 years, covering politics, government and other news. He's written award-winning stories on topics ranging from gerrymandering to police use of force. Got a tip? Contact Burgess at jburgess@citizentimes.com, 828-713-1095 or on Twitter @AVLreporter. Please help support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times .

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Asheville Mission nurse strike vote days away; 'can't pee or eat at work'