[A] key figure in the University of Vermont Medical Center nurses union has resigned from the negotiating process, citing a disagreement about whether a compromise may have been reached in the months-long labor dispute.
Julie MacMillan, a registered nurse who had been serving as the union’s lead negotiator, posted a message Friday on her Facebook page saying she wanted more input from union members after the latest round of negotiations with the hospital on Aug. 18.
“I feel that the opinions and views of this union are the driving force behind my mandate, and I felt that we had not only made great strides but had potentially reached a compromise,” MacMillan wrote. “Unfortunately, several members of union leadership do not agree, and they feel that my ideals no longer fit with the mission of the union, and I have been asked to resign.”
A union spokesperson on Saturday confirmed MacMillan’s departure but said she had not been asked to resign. Union President Laurie Aunchman issued a statement contending that the negotiation relies heavily on members’ input.
“The campaign has always been and continues to be member-led, utilizing our Member Action Team structure and bargaining committee to solicit and engage membership feedback every step of the way,” Aunchman said.
The Vermont Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals has been negotiating for a new contract with University of Vermont Medical Center since late March. The union represents about 1,800 licensed practical nurses, registered nurses and nurse practitioners at the Burlington hospital.
The nurses’ last contract expired July 9, and they went on a 48-hour strike three days later. Administrators maintained most of the hospital’s functions by importing hundreds of replacement nurses during the work stoppage.
The two sides have engaged in periodic negotiations since then, but wages and staffing continue to be sticking points.
The union says UVM Medical Center’s nurses are underpaid and dealing with a heavy patient load that has increasingly acute needs. This has led to gaps in care, safety concerns and long wait times at the hospital, the union contends.
Medical center administrators say their vacancy and turnover rates are in line with other facilities amid a statewide and nationwide shortage of health care staff.
They also say their latest offer – a 15 percent average base salary hike over three years, as opposed to the union’s 22 percent request – is competitive. The offer includes larger increases for certain job categories including outpatient nurses and nurse practitioners.
Nurses and their supporters protested the hospital’s proposed fiscal 2019 budget on Wednesday, but union leaders also recently have said they are “making some headway at the bargaining table.”
MacMillan apparently felt the same way. “Over the last week, I have been open and honest about the progress we have made towards a contract agreement with UVMMC and have expressed not only pride, but optimism,” she wrote in her social media post Friday.
But given the disconnect with union leadership, MacMillan wrote that she has decided to resign “with regret.”
“This decision has not been easy,” MacMillan wrote. “It has been a privilege to serve as the lead negotiator for the past eight months, and I am proud of all we have accomplished together.”
“You will continue to have my personal support, as I am a proud nurse and union member, as you continue to work towards your goals,” she added.
Reaction on MacMillan’s Facebook page included surprise about the decision and praise for her work, as well as concern about potentially exposing what could be perceived as dissension or a “crack in the armor” amid labor talks with the hospital.
As of Saturday, MacMillan’s picture was still featured prominently atop the nursing union’s Facebook page. The union also issued a statement extending “thanks and gratitude for the hard work and dedication lead negotiator Julie MacMillan has offered in the role.”
“Julie’s guidance and leadership has been instrumental to our success thus far and we hope she will be a part of our future,” Aunchman said.
The union said the organization’s “bargaining committee and executive board plans to address the developments this week.”