3.12.2003

Lawrence General Hospital Nurses Reach Tentative Agreement
Picketing Scheduled for Today is Canceled

Canton, Mass.—After more than 14 hours of negotiations with a federal mediator, the registered nurses of Lawrence General Hospital reached a tentative agreement with hospital management, averting the need for the nurses to conduct informational picketing which was scheduled to begin today at 6 a.m.

Both parties have agreed to withhold public comment on the specific details of the agreement until the nurses' union has the opportunity to present the settlement to the rank and file membership, which should happen in the next week.

The nurses and management reached an agreement that addressed all outstanding issues in dispute, including language to deal with the issues of mandatory on-call policies, language to protect inexperienced nurses from assuming duties beyond their scope of experience and a wage package to recruit and retain nursing staff.