March 8, 2021 – More than 800 nurses at Saint Vincent Hospital (Worcester, MA) went on strike March 8 after negotiations broke down with its owner, Tenet Healthcare (Dallas, TX), reports a local ABC affiliate.
The nurses said staffing levels at the hospital are hurting patient care — something they claim has only been made worse by the pandemic. They want assurances that nurses will not be assigned more than four patients at a time
The Massachusetts Nurses Association said the nurses voted in mid-February to authorize the open-ended strike.
The hospital said “qualified replacement registered nurses are fully oriented, trained and on the units taking care of patients.”
“Quality is the cornerstone of everything we do here at Saint Vincent, and our community can be assured that we have taken the appropriate steps to ensure we will be able to remain focused on providing exceptional, safe, quality care to our patients despite the strike action being taken by the MNA,” said Carolyn Jackson, Saint Vincent CEO.
Jackson said the hospital remains hopeful that it can reach an agreement with the union for a new contract.
In a letter shared with the media on Friday, Jackson alleged a series of “intolerable incidents of bullying and intimidation” by Massachusetts Nurses Association union representatives and its members related to the impending strike and negotiations with the hospital.
Jackson said in a recent Zoom call involving Saint Vincent nurses, participants were told that those who cross the picket line would be identified with their names posted online for the purpose of subjecting them to intimidation.
The CEO also said nurses who have publicly opposed the strike have been subject to online abuse and threats on social media.