As you may be aware, the nurses of North Adams Regional Hospital are preparing for a potential strike on Sep. 3, as they continue their effort to negotiate a fair contract that protects the quality of care and the quality of their lives. Among the key issues at stake in these negotiations is the protection of language in their contract to ensure safe staffing and to prevent mandatory overtime. The nurses are also fighting to protect their right to a set work schedule and a number of long-standing benefits.
As the strike date approaches, we have received numerous reports from nurses across the state who are receiving phone calls from temporary nursing agencies that specialize in hiring replacement nurses to break nurses’ strikes. We are reaching out to all nurses to ask them to support the NARH nurses and to not cross their picket line, as their fight is a fight for all of us. If this hospital is allowed to succeed in its assault on these nurses, your hospital could be next and you could find yourself facing the same unreasonable demands.
To learn more about their struggle, read this story:
http://www.thetranscript.com/ci_15836432
In standing up for the NARH nurses we are standing up for all nurses.
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