Framingham nurses seek to join Massachusetts Nurses Association labor union

Photo | Grant Welker MetroWest Medical Center's Framingham Union Hospital

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By Isabel Tehan

Nurses at Framingham Union Hospital have requested voluntary recognition of their labor union in a Tuesday letter to MetroWest Medical Center CEO John Whitlock from The Framingham Union Hospital RN Organizing Committee.

“An overwhelming majority of registered nurses at Framingham Union Hospital have decided that we would like to have a real and independent voice on all decisions that affect us, the work we do and the patients we take care of. We would like to be real partners with you in setting priorities for our workplace and ensuring a healthy future for Framingham. To achieve this, we and a majority of our colleagues have signed cards expressing our desire to be represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA),” wrote the nurses seeking union recognition in the letter.

The nurses in the letter propose a neutral third party be selected to receive the union cards and verify that a majority of eligible nurses are in favor of unionization within 10 days.

The nurses request a response from Whitlock by 1 p.m. Tuesday. The nurses intend to file petitions with the National Labor Relations Board should the request be unmet, according to the letter.

There are approximately 280 nurses at FUH, according to a Monday press release from the MNA.

A group of nurses will attempt to meet with Whitlock on Tuesday morning ahead of the 1 p.m. deadline for response, according to the MNA.

Framingham Union Hospital is part of MetroWest Medical Center, which is owned by Texas-based Tenet Healthcare. Tenet also owns Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester, where MNA nurses went on a record-breaking 301-day strike in 2021-2022, which largely focused on nurse-to-patient staffing ratios.