Saint Vincent, Teamsters reach tentative deal to avoid post-Christmas strike
Photo | Grant Welker
Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester
Saint Vincent Hospital and the Teamsters Union Local 170 reached a tentative agreement on a new contract, potentially averting a strike planned for Dec. 26.
The agreement was reached between the union and Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare Corp., which owns and operates Saint Vincent in Worcester, around 8 p.m. on Friday, according to the Teamsters.
Details of the contract were not disclosed. Saint Vincent confirmed to WBJ the tentative deal had been reached.
The new contract is being reviewed by the Teamsters Local 170. It is setting up a timeline for its members to vote on ratifying the new deal. The union expects union members to have copies of the new contract by the end of this week or early next week. A date for a vote will be set for the first week of the new year.
The Teamsters informed the hospital its members were going to strike on Dec. 26 if a new deal was not reached. The Teamsters contract for roughly 180 union members, which consist of operating room technicians and other providers working with nurses, expired at the end of June. Negotiations on a new contract started in April, and the new deal took months of negotiations.
Carolyn Jackson, CEO of Saint Vincent and the Massachusetts market for Tenet, informed employees of the hospital in early December contingency plans were being made in preparation for the strike. Those plans will not be needed, assuming the union members approve the tentative deal.
“We are pleased to have reached a tentative contract agreement with the Teamsters, the labor union that represents our techs and therapists at Saint Vincent Hospital,” Tenet spokesperson Shelly Weiss Friedberg said in a written statement. “In addition, the Teamsters have withdrawn their intent to strike notice. The new contract will enable Saint Vincent Hospital to continue to recruit and retain techs and therapists, who are valued members of our care team. As always, we remain focused on providing safe, quality care to our patients."
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