POWERS — Pinecrest Medical Care Facility and the union representing the 15 LPN’s employed by Pinecrest are heading to state fact-finding after being unable to reach agreement on wages. Pinecrest has been negotiating with its bargaining unit represented by SEIU Healthcare Michigan based in Detroit since early in January to reach agreement on wages and health insurance premium sharing for 2023. The facility, located in Powers, is a public facility owned by the counties of Delta, Dickinson, and Menominee, and is operated by the Pinecrest Board of Directors. Pinecrest is a skilled nursing facility and home to almost 70 residents of the three counties.

Nurses plan to have an informational picket Monday, April 10 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the weight station In Powers. Nurses said they are overworked, underpaid and devauled as nursing professionals.

Bargaining has been hampered by post-pandemic resident census challenges as well as the significant increase in the wage market for nurses. Since the pandemic started, employee incentives and bonuses have increased the annual W-2 pay of LPNs by over 47.0%, Pinecrest officials said.

In these negotiations, Pinecrest’s last proposal included a $3.50 per hour wage increase for all LPNs as well as an additional $.50 an hour increase for employees on the second and third shift. This one-year increase would exceed 15.00% for the LPNs. The top rate for LPNs would increase from its current level of $22.60/hour to $26.10/hour for first shift LPNs, $27.10/hour for second shift LPNs, and $27.35/hour for third shift LPNs.

The union’s last proposal was for a top rate increase of $5.66/hour for first shift employees (to $28.26), an increase of $6.91 for second shift employees (to $29.51/hour), and an increase of $7.16/hour for third shift employees (to $29.76/hour). This one year increase proposed by the union would exceed 25.00%.

On March 21, the parties met with the state mediator, but reached no agreement.

“We are very disappointed by the outcome of the mediation,” said Dana Smith, administrator of Pinecrest Medical Care Facility. “Despite making a one year wage increase proposal of more than 15.0%, the union bargaining committee would not agree. The employer wants a fair wage increase as much as the employees. But it has to be fair to the public and the taxpayers as well. They own this facility and support it with their Medicaid, Medicare and tax dollars. We have to be good stewards of those funds.”

The next step in the state mediation process is fact finding, which has been requested and is expected to be scheduled in the coming weeks.