AUGUSTA, Maine (WABI) - Nurses from Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor and Maine Medical Center in Portland gathered in Augusta on Tuesday to ask for fair contracts and improved patient safety.

Nurses from both facilities are currently in contract negotiations.

They say staff-shortage issues leads to workplace injuries to both nurses and patients as well as delays in patient care.

Nurses at E.M.M.C. say they are seeing reduced or even closed service lines and claim there are difficulties with patients being able to get biopsies and M.R.I.’s.

They say the nursing shortage isn’t because there’s not enough nurses, it’s due to the workplace environment.

“The unmanageable working conditions makes it harder for people to stay in these jobs,” answered R.N. at the Lafayette

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