‘No pizza for you,’ Munson execs tell nurses for Nurses Week

Hospital cancels activities nurses planned for each other to show appreciation

TRAVERSE CITY – For National Nurses Week (May 6-12), nurses at Munson Medical Center took it upon themselves to plan to honor their colleagues at work by handing out candy, energy drinks, and pizza. 

But Munson executives shut down the volunteer activities. They sent security to turn away nurses Tuesday morning who had volunteered, on their own time, to distribute treats to coworkers. 

Executives also put a damper on the rest of Nurses Week. They cancelled the union members’ plans to distribute pizza to fellow nurses working this Friday and pastries to those working on Mother’s Day – even though Munson nurses have done similar activities many times in the past. 

“We just wanted to do something to show appreciation to fellow nurses and honor each other,” said Laura Nilsson, one of three nurses who volunteered to pass out treats Tuesday and was turned away. “I’m extremely disappointed that management denied us the ability to do even these little acknowledgments for each other. Nurses Week is an important opportunity to recognize our profession and we should be able to celebrate it together.” 

Members of the nurses’ union, Traverse City Munson Nurses Association, planned a full week of events for all fellow nurses, including three external activities that are outside of management’s control and therefore will continue. 

It’s unclear why Munson executives shut down the nurses’ volunteer activities at the hospital. The action is a clear departure from previous practice. Union leaders brought up the cancellation in meetings with management Tuesday but it was not resolved. 

“There is an old joke in nursing that all your employer gives you for Nurses Week is free pizza – but in this case management has decided we can’t even do that for each other,” said Munson RN Megan Slater, a union steward and another of the three nurses who were turned away Tuesday. “There’s no reasonable justification for what they’ve done. We hope Munson executives change their minds about allowing nurses to carry out these Nurses Week activities. No matter what, we are here for each other and nothing can change that.” 

TCMNA (Traverse City Munson Nurses Association) is a local bargaining unit of the Michigan Nurses Association (MNA). MNA is the largest union and professional association for registered nurses and healthcare professionals in the state. MNA is an affiliate of National Nurses United and AFL-CIO.  

Contact: Dawn Kettinger, dawn.kettinger@minurses.org, 517-721-9688