From the Massachusetts Nurse Newsletter
September 2010 Edition
| Celebration: Members of the MNA bargaining unit at North Adams Regional Hospital after a tentative contract agreement was reached. |
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Marathon negotiations just days before the start of a Sept. 3 strike led to a tentative agreement on Sept. 2 between the Massachusetts Nurses Association bargaining unit and the North Adams Regional Hospital.
Negotiations over the contract between the 102 registered nurses and the hospital had been going on since January. The primary outstanding issues had been the hospital’s concessionary proposals that the nurses believed would have been disastrous for both the quality of patient care and the quality of their lives.
“We are satisfied and relieved that we were able to work out a tentative settlement that serves the needs of our patients and our members,” said bargaining unit chair, Ruth O’Hearn, RN. “We want to thank the community for the outpouring of support we have received. Everywhere we went our neighbors, our friends and our patients offered us their support. This positive settlement never would have been possible without the community’s backing. It is our hope that after these contentious negotiations we will be able to work with the hospital as they go through their difficult financial problems and possible affiliation with Berkshire Medical Center.”
The nurses are currently working to schedule a ratification vote. A pre-strike rally that was scheduled for the day before the strike became a celebration.
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