WORCESTER – On the 301st day since a labor strike began at Saint Vincent Hospital, nurses represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association [MNA] meet on Monday, January 3, to vote on a proposed new labor contract.
The MNA says it expects the proposal to be ratified and an announcement to be made around 9:30 PM.
The nurses will meet at Teamster Local 170 Meeting Hall on Southwest Cutoff in Worcester. According to the MNA, “All nurses who are members in good standing will be eligible to vote to ratify the contract via secret ballot.” The contract requires a majority of support to ratify.
“Our members are anxiously awaiting the opportunity to vote on and approve this agreement, which will allow us to end the strike and do what we have always wanted to do, which is to continue to provide the best possible care to our patients and our community,” said Marlena Pellegrino, RN, a 35-year nurse at the hospital and co-chair of the nurses local bargaining unit of the Massachusetts Nurses Association.
The resolution of the contract dispute started in early December. Two weeks of discussions culminated in an in-person session on December 17, the 285th day of the strike. Former Mayor of Boston and current U.S. Secretary of Labor, Marty Walsh, travelled to Worcester to lead an in-person negotiation session where the agreement was reached.
Staffing level concerns were the primary issue that led nurses to launch the strike. The two sides agreed to new staffing policies in August, but provisions for bringing nurses back to work became central to the strike continuing since. The hospital has 30 days to recall nurses to work after the agreement is ratified.
According to the MNA, along with staffing improvements, the two sides reached new agreements on workplace safety, wages, benefits, and other issues.
