WORCESTER – The Massachusetts Nursing Association [MNA] announced on Thursday, August 19, that it has agreed to staffing levels last proposed by Tenet Healthcare, which owns Saint Vincent Hospital.
Although the major issue that nurses say led to the strike appears to be solved, MNA says talks ended on Thursday without a resolution to the strike.
MNA says the new primary concern of nurses is a “back to work” provision, which guarantees all nurses who went out on strike the right to return to work in the same position, hours, and shift that they worked prior to the strike and provides a process the parties will follow in recalling the nurses.
MNA says an agreement on back to work provisions was not reached before federal mediators ended negotiations on Thursday. It also said it looks forward to any opportunity to continue the discussions.
The talks, which took place from Monday through Thursday, were not previously announced.
