In a Tuesday press release, Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester said it guarantees a job to all striking nurses who want one, while retaining all the replacement nurses hired earlier this month.
The hospital is still hiring more replacement nurses, with 40 more hired since the first 100 were brought on in early August, per the release.
Roughly 85% to 90% of returning nurses will return to the same positions they held before striking, but that number will decrease as more replacement nurses come to Saint Vincent, the hospital said in the release, noting that hiring paused last week during negotiations but will continue moving forward.
The Massachusetts Nurses Association takes issue with the fact that some of the nurses will not be able to return to their same positions, said MNA spokesman David Schildmeier.
“We’ve agreed on the language piece of the agreement,” said Schildmeier, explaining that the MNA is not satisfied because some highly skilled nurses, many of whom were also leaders of the strike, will not be able to return to those high-skill positions.
The Saint Vincent nurses strike is largely focused on improving staff ratios, and reached its 171st day on Wednesday.
