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January 16, 2004Munson settles union chargesHospital to pay $30K for not hiring strikersByRecord-Eagle staff writer TRAVERSE CITY - Munson Medical Center paid the Teamsters union $30,000 to settle two unfair labor practice charges stemming from a lingering nurses strike in Petoskey. Teamsters Local 406 last year alleged Munson refused to hire 14 striking Northern Michigan Hospital nurses. In September, Munson and the Teamsters cut a deal that paid $3,000 each to nurses Munson refused to hire and $1,500 to nurses Munson refused to consider for hire, said Stephen Glasser, regional director of the National Labor Relations Board. Munson also agreed to advise nurses by letter that they would be considered in future traveling nurses openings. In exchange, the Teamsters withdrew the complaint and the labor board closed the case, Glasser said. All 14 nurses agreed to the settlement. Sue Peters, Munson vice president of human resources, said the union and Munson agreed not to comment on the settlement. The hospital has hired several Petoskey nurses both full and part-time but hasn't been hiring any traveling nurses. Teamsters attorney Ted Iorio declined to discuss the settlement and any role it may have had in the recent contract deal with Munson's service workers. The contract took a year and a half to complete. "We went through holy hell to get that contract," Iorio said of the negotiations. Less than four months later, Munson's service employees voted 175-70 to deauthorize a contract clause that requires them to pay dues or face possible job loss. Deauthorization elections are almost unheard of, according to the labor board. The union has challenged the election, alleging the hospital coerced, intimidated and directed employees how to vote.
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