1 CMMC nurse reinstated after September firings at Lewiston hospital
Central Maine Medical Center has announced that one of the nurses it fired in mid‑September will return to work later this week, according to a statement released by the National Nurses Organization, the union affiliate of National Nurses United. The nurse, who remains anonymous, was among 20 staffers disciplined last month for “documented violations of established hospital policies and standards,” hospital officials said.
The firings have drawn sharp criticism from Lewiston city leaders and from nurses across the political spectrum. They say the terminations were retaliation for a union‑building effort that culminated in a 91‑percent victory for CMMC nurses in a union election held on September 24, one day after the hospital’s own 82‑percent win for the Olympia Fields Hospital nurses in Illinois, where six employees were also dismissed during a similar campaign.
“Prime needs to reinstate all nurses who were suspended or fired,” said Katie Grinnell, a former CMMC nurse and current union spokesperson. “Also, Prime must stop challenging our overwhelming victory at the ballot box. We won our union election by a landslide.”
Prime Healthcare Foundation, the California‑based owner of Central Maine Medical Center, has defended its actions by citing policy violations. Local officials, however, maintain that the firings violated state and federal labor laws, and have called for the immediate reinstatement of all affected staff.
Hillary Ferrell, a former nurse who worked at Olympia Fields Hospital, echoed the union’s stance in a press release. “Nurses were unlawfully disciplined for our patient advocacy,” Ferrell said. “But we will never stop speaking up for our patients. Our patients and our community deserve safe staffing and safe patient care.”
At Olympia Fields, four of the six nurses who were fired were reinstated by Monday night, a development that the union views as a vindication of its fight for fair treatment. In Lewiston, the single nurse returning to CMMC will resume duties later this week, but the union says it will continue to push for full reinstatement of the remaining 19 nurses, who have either been suspended or terminated.
The hospital’s actions and the union’s response have become a flashpoint in a broader debate over staffing, patient safety and workers’ rights in Maine’s healthcare sector. City officials, nursing groups, and labor advocates are watching closely as the dispute unfolds, hoping for a resolution that protects both patient care and employees’ rights to organize.
