More than nine months after nurses quit their jobs at St. Vincent’s in Worcester, a tentative agreement could end the second-longest nurses’ strike in Massachusetts history. “We’re really happy. This is our hospital. I’ve been here 49 years and I want to go back there and do my job,” said Ann Allia, a nurse. Hospital chief executive Carolyn Jackson said: “I think everyone decided it was going on too long, and when winter came, the patient census spiked and the COVID numbers went up, that’s it. It was really a good decision to bring in as many nurses as possible. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, the former mayor of Boston, mediated the final session of negotiations on Friday, the Massachusetts Nurses Association said. A source familiar with the negotiations said Walsh had specifically returned to Massachusetts on Thursday night from Washington to spend the day mediating the negotiations. “After months of negotiations, I am pleased to be with both sides today as we work together to forge a final agreement to end the strike,” Walsh said. “I want to thank both St. Vincent’s Hospital and the Massachusetts Nurses Association for their dedication to getting this work done and continuing to keep our community healthy.” , is a team effort. “Sec. Walsh was a big part of this, but also congressman Jim McGovern, who was involved in this from the beginning, the state delegation, the city councilors, lots of election officials. and union leaders and managers on both sides,” said Petty. Hundreds of members of the MNA have been on strike since March 8, hoping to negotiate a contract that offers a better staff-to-patient ratio. Then in early August hired dozens of substitute nurses to fill the positions of the nurses on strike. Patient. Seven months after the strike began, the hospital made its “last, best and final offer” to end the strike. At the time, a representative for the MNA said the members would decline the offer until all nurses could be assured that they would return to their former positions in the hospital. Friday’s announcement from St. Vincent said the agreement reached with the MNA will restore featured nurses to their previous roles while keeping all substitute nurses permanently in their current positions. The hospital’s announcement did not give additional specifics. “The new contract will provide improvements for our patients and teams, and we’re pleased to finally end the warning and focus back on patient care,” Jackson Hospital said. in its written notice. “With this deal, we can go back to that building with great pride not only in what we wrote in the agreement, but in what we built together as partners. nurses know they’re doing all they can for their patients and their communities,” said Dominique Muldoon, a nurse at the hospital and Co-Chair of the bargaining unit. “Once this is ratified by members, we are now committed to returning to that building as soon as possible to provide the care our patients deserve.” “The agreement expected today between the St. Vincent Hospital nurses and Tenet Healthcare is a win for Worcester, for organized labor, for the healthcare workers who have been on the front lines of our lives. This pandemic, and ultimately our patients, we are delighted to see that this agreement includes a guarantee to all nurses who have gone on strike the right to return to their previous positions, as well as improvements to patient safety,” Sen. Ed Markey, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Jim McGovern said in a joint statement. “As Massachusetts again sees an uptick in COVID-19 cases, we are grateful that these healthcare heroes were able to return to work.
More than nine months after nurses quit their jobs at St. Vincent’s in Worcester, a tentative agreement could end the second-longest nurses’ strike in Massachusetts history.
“We’re really happy. This is our hospital. I’ve been here 49 years and I want to go back there and do my job,” said Ann Allia, a nurse.
Hospital chief executive Carolyn Jackson said: “I think everyone decided it was going on too long, and when winter came, the patient census spiked and the COVID numbers went up, that’s it. It was really a good decision to bring in as many nurses as possible.
Minister of Labor Marty Walsh, the former mayor of Boston, brokered the final session of negotiations on Friday, the Massachusetts Nurses Association said. A source familiar with the negotiations said Walsh had specifically returned to Massachusetts on Thursday night from Washington to spend the day mediating the negotiations.
“After months of negotiations, I am pleased to be with both sides today as we work together to forge a final agreement to end the strike,” Walsh said. “I want to thank both St. Vincent’s Hospital and the Massachusetts Nurses Association for their dedication to getting this work done and continuing to keep our community healthy.”
Worcester Mayor Joe Petty said the deal, the culmination of more than two years of negotiations, was a team effort.
“Sec. Walsh was a big part of this, but also congressman Jim McGovern, who was involved in this from the beginning, the state delegation, the city councilors, lots of election officials. and union leaders and managers on both sides,” said Petty.
Hundreds of members of the MNA have been on strike since March 8, hoping to negotiate a contract that offers a better staff-to-patient ratio.
The hospital’s parent company, Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare, scale back some hospital services at the end of July And after that hired dozens of substitute nurses in early August to fill the positions of prominent nurses.
In September, Doctors at St. Vincent sent a letter to MNA asked striking nurses to return to work to help cope with the surge in COVID-19 patients.
Seven months after the strike began, the hospital made a public announcement “the last, the best and the last offer“to end the strike. At the time, a representative for the MNA said the members would decline the offer until all nurses could be assured that they would return to their former positions within hospital.
Friday’s announcement from St. Vincent said the agreement reached with the MNA will restore featured nurses to their previous roles while keeping all substitute nurses permanently in their current positions. Additional specifics were not provided in the hospital’s statement.
“The new contract will provide improvements for our patients and teams, and we are pleased to finally end the strike and focus solely on patient care,” Jackson Hospital said. know in her written statement.
“With this deal, we can go back to that building with immense pride not only in what we wrote in the agreement, but in what we built together as the nurses know they’re doing all they can for their patients and their communities,” said Dominique Muldoon, a nurse at the hospital and Co-Chair of the bargaining unit. “Once this is ratified by members, we are now committed to returning to that building as soon as possible to provide the care our patients deserve.”
“The agreement slated for today between St. Vincent’s Hospital nurses and Tenet Healthcare is a win for Worcester, for organized labor, for the healthcare workers who have been on the front lines of our lives. This pandemic, and ultimately our patients, we are delighted to see that this agreement includes a guarantee to all nurses who have gone on strike the right to return to their previous positions, as well as improvements to patient safety,” Sen. Ed Markey, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Jim McGovern said in a joint statement. “As Massachusetts again sees an uptick in COVID-19 cases, we are grateful that these healthcare heroes were able to return to work.
