After CMMC fires nurses, Lewiston leaders ask: ‘Who is caring for patients right now?’
Lewiston Nurses Fired Amid Unionization Effort Prompt Community Outcry
Lewiston, Maine – Central Maine Medical Center (CMMC) confirmed on Friday that it has terminated 15 of its nurses, citing documented violations of hospital policies. The firings, announced after an initial wave of suspensions that affected at least 18 nurses, come as a state‑wide unionization drive gathers momentum.
Union campaign and hospital response
The nurses, many of whom have worked at CMMC for years, filed a petition last month to join the Maine State Nurses Association (MSNA), a union that represents roughly 4,000 nurses and caregivers across the state. The MSNA has been campaigning for improved staffing levels, better equipment, and safer working conditions, and the nurses are slated to vote on the union’s affiliation on September 24.
CMMC’s spokesperson said the terminations were not linked to the union activity. “No employee has been terminated because of union activity,” the spokesperson said. “The decisions are based on violations of patient‑care, safety, attendance and workplace hospital policies that apply to everyone.” The hospital listed the reasons for the 15 firings as patient abandonment, time‑keeping violations, disruption of patient care and other conduct that interferes with patient safety. Five additional employees are still under investigation for violations of longstanding hospital policies.
Community leaders weigh in
The firings have drawn swift criticism from city leaders across the political spectrum. Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline described the decision as “bad business and bad for our community,” adding that it is “shortsighted and damaging.” Rep. Julia McCabe, a Democrat running for reelection to the Maine House District 93 seat, called the nurses “people who have given years, even decades, to caring for our community,” and said, “Let go in a round of phone calls. Why? Because Prime does not want an empowered, unionized workforce. They want a divided one that they can control in order to maximize profits, at the expense of patient care. Our nurses deserve better. Our community deserves better.”
Councilor Susan Longchamps, a Republican candidate for reelection to a city position, said the suspensions are “deeply troubling” and called for a “fair and transparent review.” She noted that nurses should feel “supported, respected and safe speaking up about patient care.” School Committee member Janet Beaudoin, a Republican running for the Maine House District 94 seat, questioned the timing of the suspensions: “If our nurses were already understaffed and overworked, who is caring for patients right now?” Shanna Cox, a Democrat campaigning for Maine Senate District 21, said, “Nurses at CMMC are our friends, siblings and neighbors, and deserve fair treatment and better staffing.”
Luke Jensen, running for the Maine House District 96 seat, criticized the hospital’s quality of care since Prime Healthcare took ownership, and said the nurses are “leading the charge in demanding improvements.” His opponent, Lee Clement, described the situation as a loss of the community’s former high‑quality healthcare and called the hospital’s actions “not a political issue, this is quality of life.”
Union supporters rally
On Tuesday morning, nurses and supporters gathered outside the hospital on Main Street, holding signs that read “Enough is Enough.” The picketing, photographed by local staff, was part of the broader effort to rally community support ahead of the union vote. The demonstrators emphasized that the nurses’ right to organize is protected by state and federal law, and that the firings appear to be retaliation for their union activities.
The union has also drawn the attention of the Maine AFL‑CIO, which has characterized the mass suspension of nurses as “retaliation” and has called on Prime Healthcare to reinstate the employees. Prime Healthcare, the parent company that owns CMMC and other hospitals nationwide, has denied that it is using union‑busting tactics. In a statement released on Friday, Prime said it is “saving a Maine health system” and that its actions are focused on maintaining “safe, high‑quality care.”
Next steps
The nurses’ petition to join the MSNA is set to be voted on on September 24. Local leaders and union officials are urging that the hospital’s disciplinary actions be reviewed, and the community is watching closely as the two sides prepare for a vote that could reshape nursing employment in Lewiston.
As the town waits for the outcome, the debate over nurse staffing, patient safety and workers’ rights continues to be a central issue for Lewiston and the broader Maine health‑care landscape.
