Signs supporting nurses available now

MARQUETTE — We previously reported that the Michigan Nurses Association was encouraging people to make homemade signs to display in their homes or businesses to continue supporting the nurses as they move forward with contract negotiations. This may not have to be the case.

The public is welcome to pick up official signs from the RN Staff Council Office at 260 W Magnetic Street. If people missed participating in the strike or the community’s informational picket, displaying a sign is a great way to cheer on the nurses from the sidelines.

“The signs are a great morale booster for us in particular as nurses. They also show and demonstrate the support we have and that is really important to us,” said RN Tammy Sustarich. “We cherish the support.”

The first stack of signs is went quickly, but more are coming.  The RN Staff Council promises to print more as they are needed and distribute them as fast as people want them.

If no one is at the office, folks can leave a note expressing their interest in a sign.

UPDATE: The nurses returned to work this morning at 7:00am, and the hospital has released a statement as follows:

“At 7:00 a.m. this morning, the contract with the replacement nursing staff who temporarily served our community during the strike expired. Accordingly, our regular team of RNs have returned to work, and we are happy to have our team back. As you would imagine, we are eager to move beyond this work stoppage and renew our focus on the delivery of quality patient care to our community.

UPHS-Marquette looks forward to returning to the bargaining table and working together with the union to develop a new contract that meets the needs of our hospital, our nurses, and our community.”