Nurses union OKs Ardent offer

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

The union representing the 400 to 500 registered nurses at Forum Health Northside Medical Center has narrowly approved a proposal from potential Forum Health buyer Ardent Health Services.

Eric Williams, president of the Ohio Nurses Association/Youngstown General Duty Nurses Association, said the membership voted from Thursday through 9:10 p.m. Friday.

Williams described the agreement only as the “final offer” given to the nurses by Ardent.

Williams said he was able to identify Ardent as the author of the offer, despite earlier statements that the name of the company involved had to remain unspoken.

Williams said he could not discuss any details of the contract offer on which his union voted.

The other unions representing workers at Forum Health approved contract offers earlier, including three American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees locals representing 1,200 employees of Trumbull Memorial Hospital and Hillside Rehabilitation Hospital.

Deborah Bindas, AFSCME Ohio Council 8 staff representative, said AFSCME members were given three options when voting — the Ardent offer, a modified agreement with Forum Health and neither of the two.

In the case of the AFSCME employees, the Ardent agreement was chosen by a landslide, with the Forum modification being the least-popular option.

The Hospital Division of the Service Employees International Union District 1199, which represents 1,100 to 1,200 employees at Northside Medical Center and Trumbull Memorial Hospital, also approved a five-year contract with Ardent.

That agreement did not prohibit layoffs but did place limits on layoffs, a union official said.