Nurses at two rural Maine hospitals are preparing to strike in light of ongoing contract negotiation issues, the Maine State Nurses Association announced Thursday.

Members at Northern Maine Medical Center in Fort Kent and Houlton Regional Hospital voted overwhelmingly to authorize bargaining teams to call a strike, although dates had not been set yet according to a statement the association issued Thursday.

Nurses say their concerns about staffing, recruitment, pay and safety have not been addressed in contract negotiations, and they’re prepared to stop working if those issues are not resolved.

Both rural hospitals have closed their labor and delivery units, part of a decade-long trend in the state attributed to declining birth rates, low reimbursement rates and health care worker shortages. Northern Maine’s birthing unit closed in 2023, while Houlton nurses rallied against a closure in April, and said the loss would put mothers and babies at risk.

Nurses at Northern Maine Medical Center have been bargaining for their first contract for 16 months after voting to unionize in January 2024.

“We are fighting for patient safety and the ability to recruit and retain nurses at our hospital. We should be much closer to a deal,” Northern Maine emergency room nurse Brad Martinez said in the statement. “Nurses voted to strike because the administration at NMMC has not addressed our concerns about safe staffing and fair pay.”

Nurses at Houlton Regional Hospital are also working without a contract since their last one expired in November 2024.

“We want safe staffing so we can give our patients the best care. Recruitment and retention of staff nurses is a huge issue for us,” said Brooke Howland, a registered nurse who works in acute care in Houlton. “If a strike is what it takes for the voices of nurses to be heard, then so be it.”

The two hospitals have shared a CEO, Jeff Zewe, since May. Attempts to reach hospital leadership for comment were unsuccessful Thursday night.