Telegram & Gazette
WORCESTER With no end in sight for the St. Vincent Hospital nurses strike that has continued for more than two months, the hospital has started hiring permanent replacement nurses.
The move could mean striking nurses will not have the right to return to work immediately if the strike ends.
Instead, in accordance with federal law, they will be placed on a “preferential hire list” and will be eligible to return as vacancies arise, the hospital said in a press release.
While the two sides have been back at the bargaining table recently, St. Vincent Hospital, through a spokesman, said the Massachusetts Nurses Association has made demands for a number of non-negotiable items and that the group s staffing proposal is unreasonable.
Nurses at Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester, Massachusetts, have been on strike since March 8
Published 4 hours ago •
Updated 3 hours ago
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A Massachusetts hospital whose nurses have been on strike for two months says it will begin to hire permanent replacements.
Nurses at Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester went on strike March 8, with the Massachusetts Nurses Association calling for improved staffing ratios. Download our mobile app for iOS or Android to get alerts for local breaking news and weather.
The hospital said Wednesday that it would begin the process of hiring about 50 permanent replacement nurses, leaving any striking nurse whose position is filled without a guarantee of coming back at the end of the strike.
A Massachusetts hospital whose nurses have been on strike for two months says it will begin to hire permanent replacements. Nurses at Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester went on strike March 8, with the Massachusetts Nurses Association calling for improved staffing ratios. The hospital said Wednesday that it would begin the process of hiring about 50 permanent replacement nurses, leaving…
St. Vincent Hospital to replace striking nurses with permanent replacements
WORCESTER With no end in sight for the St. Vincent Hospital nurses strike that has continued for more than two months, the hospital has started hiring permanent replacement nurses.
The move could mean striking nurses will not have the right to return to work immediately if the strike ends.
Instead, in accordance with federal law, they will be placed on a “preferential hire list” and will be eligible to return as vacancies arise, the hospital said in a press release.
While the two sides have been back at the bargaining table recently, St. Vincent Hospital, through a spokesman, said the Massachusetts Nurses Association has made demands for a number of non-negotiable items and that the group s staffing proposal is unreasonable.
The hospital is planning to fill approximately 50 nursing positions with its first job posting. The union called the hospital's announcement an attempt to intimidate the nurses.