Saint Vincent Hospital faces a potential Teamsters strike

Photo | Grant Welker Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester

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By Kevin Koczwara

Workers at Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester are preparing to strike. After recent contract negotiations broke down, Teamsters Local Union 170 informed Tenet Healthcare Corp., which owns and operates the hospital, that it intends to begin striking on December 26.

The Teamsters contract for roughly 180 union members, which consist of operating room technicians and other providers that work with nurses, expired at the end of June. Negotiations on a new contract started in April.

"Negotiations started in April and have broken down with the Hospital refusing to move on any economic issues in nearly three months," Shannon George, secretary-treasurer and principal executive officer for Teamsters Local Union 170, said in a statement. "In more than 20 negotiation sessions between the parties, Tenet has displayed a clear disregard for the hardworking employees of the bargaining unit. Tenet has refused to offer anything close to the increases it has given to other bargaining units and its pay rates are far behind the wages paid for the same jobs at nearby UMASS Hospitals.

"For profit, Tenet has sought to continue to underpay its employees even in the face of staffing shortages," George continues. "The hospital has proposed very aggressive management rights language that would open the door to outsource any, and all work within the hospital. Having come off the longest nurses strike in US history; the union is baffled at the hospital’s short-sightedness in forcing these employees into the position of considering a work stoppage. This Texas based multi-billion dollar profiting healthcare giant is proving yet again it is totally disconnected from the City of Worcester and the willingness of hardworking men and women represented by Teamsters Union Local 170 to fight for what they deserve."

On Monday Saint Vincent CEO Carolyn Jackson sent an email to staff at Saint Vincent outlining the hospital's position.

“We value all of our hardworking Teamsters, our techs and therapists, and their steadfast commitment to our patients,” Jackson writes. “We have continued to bargain in good faith for most of this year to reach a fair and equitable agreement. Despite this effort, we have been informed that the Teamsters intend to hold a strike at Saint Vincent Hospital beginning on December 26, 2022.”

According to Jackson’s email, the Teamsters have not offered a counter to the hospital’s contract offer. She indicated she is “optimistic” an agreement will be reached. According to George, Saint Vincent agreed to to resume negotiations on Thursday and Friday.

When reached for comment, spokesperson for Tenet Shelly Weiss Friedberg said, “Saint Vincent Hospital values all of our hardworking Teamster union members, our techs and therapists, and their steadfast commitment to our patients. We have been committed to bargaining in good faith to reach an agreement that will provide our employees with competitive compensation. We have made several significant concessions and told the Union we were prepared to reach a fair and equitable agreement before the holidays.”

Weiss Friedberg said the Teamsters canceled last week’s session early and informed the hospital of their intention to strike beginning on December 26.

“We would rather be working towards an agreement for our valued employees and focusing on caring for our community during the winter COVID and flu season,” Weiss Friedberg said in a statement.“We are instead implementing a comprehensive plan to ensure our hospital will be fully operational through the Union action. Our community can be assured that our staff will remain focused on providing exceptional, safe, quality care to our patients.”

The proposed strike comes a little over a year after nurses at the hospital ended a nine month long strike on Dec. 17, 2021.

The Massachusetts Nurses Association said it will support the Teamsters by meeting them on the strike line and offering support. The Teamsters supported the nurses during their strike. The union allowed the nurses to use their meeting hall for open meetings with striking nurses every week, its members participated in the strike line, sent its Teamsters 18 Wheeler to events and wrote letters of support for the nurses.

Jackson said the hospital recognizes “employees’ right to strike,” and that if an agreement is not reached the hospital has a plan to care for patients.

The news comes days after Saint Vincent Hospital paid $1.8 million to resolve allegations it inflated charges to patients in 2018 and 2019 so it could receive outlier payments from Medicare.

Earlier this year, the hospital cut five IV nurse jobs.