Saint Vincent goes on PR push, works to avoid 2nd strike
Photo | Grant Welker
Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester
More than a week into a strike with hundreds of nurses, Saint Vincent Hospital is going on a public relations offensive, mailing flyers and updating a specially created website about the strike and negotiations.
Both aspects seek to highlight the Worcester hospital's angle on tense disagreements with the Massachusetts Nurses Association. The standoff, which led to a strike starting March 8, centers around the hospital's nurse-to-patient ratio, something the union says is unsafe and what the hospital says includes one of the state's safest guidelines.
"Saint Vincent already has some of the best staffing guidelines in Massachusetts, and we are proud to be named one of the top regional hospitals in the US," the political campaign-style flyer said.
The hospital said in the mailing it has offered to give pay raises of up to 22%, improve benefits including out-of-pocket costs for some part-time nurses, and additional nurses to shift between hospital units if or when needed. The union has dismissed the hospital's offerings as too meager, particularly for a for-profit hospital that ended its most recent fiscal year with a nearly $74-million net surplus, a 14.2% profit margin, according to the state's Center for Health Information and Analysis. The hospital's parent company, Tenet Healthcare, had fourth-quarter 2020 financial results showing $414 million in profit on more than $4 billion in net operating revenue.
Saint Vincent has been regularly updating a website as part of its information campaign, wecangettoyes.com, offering what it says is frequently asked questions, myths and facts, and other key points about the disagreement. The website was created in late February after the union voted to strike.
The nurses' strike has already been high-profile, including visits to picketers last Friday from U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Congressman Jim McGovern, and a visit in mid-February by U.S. Sen. Ed Markey. Supporters have also put up lawn signs around the city and surrounding towns, and picketers are nearly impossible to miss anywhere around the perimeter of the hospital's downtown site.
At the same time, Saint Vincent is working to avoid a second strike after local members of the United Food and Commercial Workers began picketing alongside nurses on Saturday. The union represents roughly 600 workers at Saint Vincent, including patient care assistants, critical care technicians, clerks, clinical support, housekeeping and others.
Saint Vincent CEO Carolyn Jackson said in a staff memo Monday it received a counter-proposal from the UFCW and the hospital would review it and respond quickly.
"It is our hope that we can ratify their new contract by Friday to enable all of their members to receive the ratification bonus," Jackson said. "We truly appreciate them continuing to negotiate in good faith with us."
Both sides of the nurses strike continue to receive support from their respective industries.
The Massachusetts Nurses Association said Tuesday that nurses from Mercy Medical Center in Springfield were due to join picketing Saint Vincent nurses on Wednesday. The Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association, a state hospital network, released a statement Wednesday siding with Saint Vincent, calling nurses' staffing ratio complaints misguided and defending the hospital's practices.
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