What is Happening? Nurses represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association at Baystate Franklin Medical Center in Greenfield and Baystate Noble Hospital in Westfield have been trying for more than a year to negotiate fair contracts that protect their patients and ensure quality working conditions for nurses.
Why so Long? MNA nurses have been actively negotiating for many months. Unfortunately, local management has no power to negotiate. Instead, executives from Baystate’s corporate offices in Springfield refuse to allow fair bargaining. They delay, mislead the public and bully nurses and other staff.
What’s Really Going on? MNA nurses have a voice because we stand together as a union. We can be the voice of our patients and our colleagues when they cannot speak. By trying to silence MNA nurses, Baystate is going after the communities it is supposed to serve. During its illegal lockout of BFMC nurses in June, Baystate bullied and intimidated nurses, barring them from caring for their patients and even from representing their colleagues.
Why? Baystate executives are doing this because they want absolute power over their employees and their hospitals. Baystate does not want a fair contract for its nurses that protects patients. It wants employees without a voice, allowing Baystate to degrade benefits and push nurses beyond their limit to provide safe patient care.
What Can We Do? These are not Baystate’s hospitals. The public built and paid for our hospitals. Baystate is a non-profit and should be using its tax dollars and generous public donations to serve its patients and communities rather than giving its executives incredible salaries and special retirement benefits. The public can call on Baystate to do the right thing. We can stand together and take our fight to Springfield.
Please call Baystate CEO Dr. Mark Keroack at 413-794-5890 and urge him to bargain in good faith!
Read recent media coverage of the Baystate Nurses United fight:
MassLive.com
http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2017/08/nurses_supporters_conduct_pick.html
WWLP Channel 22
http://wwlp.com/2017/08/07/nurses-group-picket-outside-baystate-headquarters/
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