The vote by nurses at North Adams Regional Hospital this week authorizing what would be the state’s third nurses’ strike in 10 years, coupled with recent picketing by nurses at Cambridge Hospital, have focused new attention on growing unrest in the critical health care sector.
The latest moves follow the filing of a spate of labor complaints across the state alleging staffing shortages, mandatory over-time and cuts to benefits. Union officials say the number of complaints is on pace to double from last year.
