Bangor Rally Spotlights Nurses' Push for Safety and Contract Agreements

Bangor Rally Spotlights Nurses' Safety Concerns

Today, registered nurses from Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center (EMMC) gathered outside the facility for a rally aimed at drawing attention to their demands for improved working conditions. Represented by the Maine State Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee (MSNA/NNOC), the nurses engaged in picketing and chanting throughout the day, culminating in a candlelight vigil. Community members also participated in the event, showing their support for the nurses' cause.

Nichole Oliver, RN, a union bargaining team member, stated, “We are bringing our community’s needs to EMMC’s management through our contract bargaining. We all need to be safe inside the hospital, and that means safe staffing and no dangerous weapons inside the hospital. Without guarantees on these issues, we cannot protect our patients or give them the best care.”

Contract negotiations for the nurses have been ongoing since July 2025, with little progress reported toward reaching a final agreement. Their previous contract expired on September 15, 2025.

Diane Alexander, RN, who serves as EMMC chief steward and bargaining team member, expressed concern, stating, “Against a backdrop of Northern Light cutting services to our community, our federal government cutting assistance to working and low-income Mainers, and the unmitigated danger of violence in our workplace, our employer should do everything it can to protect our community. They simply are not.”

The delay in negotiations is a point of contention, especially as nurses at Maine Medical Center in Portland successfully ratified a new contract on January 7, 2026, which included provisions for patient safety and nurse retention.

Mary Beth Kelson, RN, another member of the EMMC bargaining team, commented, “We’ve been union members for decades longer than Maine Med. EMMC knows how this works and long ago should have met us halfway on our proposals for patient safety and nurse retention. We are committed to doing what it takes to win a fair deal for everyone.”

The MSNA/NNOC represents 900 nurses at Northern Light EMMC.

The Maine State Nurses Association is part of the National Nurses Organizing Committee, representing 4,000 nurses and other caregivers from Portland to Fort Kent. NNOC is an affiliate of National Nurses United, the largest and fastest-growing labor union of registered nurses in the United States with more than 225,000 members nationwide.

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