Hospital to hire permanent replacements for striking nurses
May 13, 2021 GMT
WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) A Massachusetts hospital where nurses have been on strike for more than two months has started the process of hiring permanent replacements.
The move was made after the union representing nurses at St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester “made their intentions to continue the strike known by adding a number of non-negotiable items to its already unreasonable staffing proposal,” the hospital, owned by Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare, said in a statement Wednesday.
The nurses represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association went on strike March 8 seeking improved nurse-to-patient staffing ratios, which they say is needed for patient safety. The hospital counters that staffing levels are within industry standards.
Saint Vincent Hospital Is Replacing Striking Nurses. Here s What to Know Monica Madeja
St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester
Nurses at Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester, Massachusetts have been on strike for two months over staffing levels. Now the hospital is hiring permanent replacements.
Hospital officials said Wednesday that they 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. The Massachusetts Nurses Association discounted the move as an attempt to dodge accountability.
“We had hoped we would not need to take this action. However, without a signal that the MNA is willing to compromise and reach resolution, we do not have a choice, Saint Vincent Hospital CEO Carolyn Jackson said in a statement. We respect that our nurses have a right to strike, but we have a responsibility to our community. Bringing in permanent replacem
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Courtesy of Saint Vincent Hospital on Facebook
WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) Nurses and officials at St. Vincent Hospital are still undergoing negotiations to resolve a strike that has carried into a third month.
Both parties restarted negotiations Wednesday morning, with the talks continuing into the evening.
Nurses, represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association union, are advocating for a 1:4 nurse to patient ratio on medical/surgical floors and telemetry units, increased staffing in the emergency department, and ancillary support in each unit.
The hospital’s parent company, Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare, has offered wage and salary increases, but nurses have continued to advocate for more staffing.