FORT KENT, Maine — Registered nurses at Northern Maine Medical Center voted Thursday in favor of unionizing.
Ninety nurses voted 62 percent in favor of joining the Maine State Nurses Association, according to a press release issued by the union.
The Maine State Nurses Association is part of the National Nurses Organizing Committee, which is an affiliate of National Nurses United. The union has about 225,000 members nationwide, the release stated.
The union said the nurses voted in favor "because it is critical that nurses have a say in decisions about patient care and about recruitment and retention of nurses, which leads to improved patient care."
“We are thrilled that our co-workers voted ‘Yes’ to join Maine State Nurses Association," Brad Martinez, an RN in the intensive care unit at NMMC, said in the union release. "Together, we share a vision of improving the level of care our families receive in our hospital."
Northern Maine Medical Center spokesperson Kris Malmborg issued a release Thursday saying the hospital "acknowledges" the nurses' decision.
"NMMC's primary focus has always been patient safety and an unwavering commitment to delivering the highest quality of care to our community," the release stated. "That focus will continue."
The hospital added it recognizes and respects the dedication of its health care professionals.
Two thousand nurses at Maine Medical Center voted in September to join the Maine State Nurses Association.