Striking nurses reject third Saint Vincent proposal, prepare counteroffer
Photo | Grant Welker
Saint Vincent Hospital nurses went on strike from 2021-2022 for better patient staffing ratios.
The Massachusetts Nurses Association said on Monday the proposal made Sunday by Saint Vincent Hospital to resolve the strike from nurses, who have been off the job and picketing for more than 100 days, was inadequate and reneged on details from previous offers, and the union plans to present a counter-proposal on Tuesday.
According to the Worcester hospital, this third proposal included a stipulation that resource nurses would be on deck for day and evening shifts for all med/surg units, regardless of patient census, as well as incremental resource nurse staffing in other parts of the hospital. The proposal included limits on how many patients resource nurses can take.
The hospital said it provided this option following a review of other contracts the Massachusetts Nurses Association has settled in other workplaces in-state.
The main point of contention in the labor dispute are the patients-to-nurse ratios at Saint Vincent.
“We want our nurses to know we have thoughtfully looked at what other MNA bargaining units are agreeing to across Massachusetts and compared their baseline staffing to ours,” said Saint Vincent CEO Carolyn Jackson, in a statement. “These other bargaining units are prioritizing additional resource nurses, and they are coming to agreement with their hospitals without a workforce disruption.”
The MNA said on Monday that Saint Vincent’s most recent proposal takes no meaningful steps in response to staffing concerns and it reduces staffing protections in some areas, including a rescinding of a previous offer to eliminate flex positions, a practice which allows the hospital to send nurses home as deemed necessary.
“Simply put, this is one step forward and two steps back,” said Marlena Pellegrino, a nurse at Saint Vincent and co-chair of the local MNA bargaining unit. “It is not a serious proposal that will allow nurses to provide patients with the care and dignity they deserve from our community hospital."
Roughly 800 Saint Vincent nurses have been on strike since March. The hospital reports about 200 of those nurses have now crossed the picket line.
As the strike wore on, Saint Vincent began permanently replacing those who walked off the job. In mid-May, 102 positions were reportedly opened.
The MNA said it hopes to deliver its counter-proposal in person.
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