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September 4, 2003Legislation geared to NMH strikeByRecord-Eagle staff writer PETOSKEY - If a recent set of bills proposed by state Democratic legislators looks as if it was crafted with the Northern Michigan Hospital nurses strike in mind, that's not a coincidence, one bill sponsor said. "I guess it was sort of by design, but we're having those same kinds of problems all over the state," said state Sen. Martha Scott, D-Highland Park, a sponsor of one of the three Senate bills. Three virtually identical bills were also introduced in the state House. One bill would mandate patient-to-nurse ratios for hospitals as a requirement in order to receive state licensing. A second bill would prohibit hospitals from using any state funds to interfere with or discourage unionization by its employees. A third bill would require that hospitals, in order to receive state funding, disclose a variety of financial information annually, including any expenditures for labor relations. Such numbers would include "consultants and attorneys, payment for replacement workers and security services." A public hearing of state House Democrats in Petoskey last Feb. 10, at which many striking nurses and union officials raised concerns, "apparently struck a bell with the legislators," said Ted Iorio, attorney for Teamsters Local 406, the union representing the strikers. Hospital spokesman Thomas Spencer, who said he has not yet read the content of the bills, said he is not surprised by them. A review of state campaign finance records for the primary sponsors of the bills showed several received campaign donations from the Teamsters in the last election cycle. Spencer said Northern Michigan Hospital's nurse-patient ratios are "excellent," and exceed both statewide and national averages. Linda Dicks, a spokeswoman for the Michigan Health and Hospital Association, said the organization questions some of the bills' proposals. "Adding unnecessary paperwork or more bureaucracy takes away from patient care," she said.
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