Cynthia Mccormick, Cape Cod Times, May 23, 2011 Hyannis - Contract negotiations between nurses and Cape Cod Healthcare are raising questions about the future direction of the Cape Psych Center. There isn't enough nursing staff to handle the increased patient load at the psych center, located across the parking lot from Cape Cod Hospital, said Patricia Casey, a nurse and union representative. She said the situation is getting dangerous, noting that two nurses are still out with injuries following scuffles with patients in January and March. ... Psych

Susan Vaughn, Barnstable Register, May 20, 2011 Barnstable - Several dozen nurses in bright blue smocks formed an enthusiastic picket line along Lewis Bay Boulevard at Main Street in Hyannis Thursday afternoon enthusiastically waving placards stating their grievances with Cape Cod Health Care in their stalled negotiations for a new union contract. More than 900 nurses from Cape Cod and Falmouth hospitals, represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association, have been without a contract since October. The nurses’ three core grievances are insufficient staffing levels, excessive use of mandatory overtime and fair and equitable raises. ... Nurses

Local Registered Nurses conduct informational picketing today and Friday. Call for a Fair Contract with Safe Staffing and Limits on Mandatory Overtime. Massachusetts Nurses Association, Cape Cod Today, May 19, 2011 Holding signs that read "Safe Staffing Now, Protect Our Patients, and Mandatory Overtime is Unhealthy for Nurses and Patients," registered nurses from Cape Cod and Falmouth Hospitals held an informational picket and rally outside the main entrance of Cape Coc Hospital today to protest Cape Cod Health Care (CCHC) administration's refusal to provide adequate RN staffing, safe working conditions and the resources needed to ensure patients ... Cape

Robert Weisman, Boston Globe, May 20, 2011 Unionized nurses voted overwhelmingly yesterday to ratify a new 18-month contract with Tufts Medical Center in Boston. Negotiators for the Massachusetts Nurses Association and the downtown hospital, a 415-bed affiliate of Tufts Medical School, reached agreement on the pact on May 5, only hours before 1,100 registered nurses were set to walk off their jobs. Tufts said it spent about $2.6 million to hire 200 replacement nurses in anticipation of a strike. ... Tufts

Call for a Fair Contract with Safe Staffing and Limits on Mandatory Overtime. Massachusetts Nurses Association, May 19, 2011 Holding signs that read "Safe Staffing Now, Protect Our Patients, and Mandatory Overtime is Unhealthy for Nurses and Patients," registered nurses from Cape Cod and Falmouth Hospitals held an informational picket and rally outside the main entrance of Cape Hospital today to protest Cape Cod Health Care (CCHC) administration's refusal to provide adequate RN staffing, safe working conditions and the resources needed to ensure patients receive quality patient care at these two facilities serving all of Cape Cod. ... Local

Pact Provides Nurses with Staffing Improvements, Limits on Patient Assignments in Key Areas, and Strict Limits on the Use of Mandatory Overtime as a Staffing Tool. Massachusetts Nurses Association, May 19, 2011 Boston - The registered nurses of Tufts Medical Center cast an overwhelming vote today to ratify a new 18-month contract that includes a number of staffing improvements sought by the nurses to improve patient care at the facility. “We are proud of this agreement and what it will mean for the patients we care for every day,” said Barbara Tiller, RN, co-chair of the nurses’ local bargaining unit. ... Tufts

Robert Weisman, Boston Globe, May 19, 2011 Registered nurses at Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester voted overwhelmingly yesterday to ratify a new three-year contract with the hospital, which is owned by Vanguard Health Systems Inc. Negotiators for Saint Vincent and the Massachusetts Nurses Association, which represents the nurses, reached agreement on the contract on May 4, averting a strike that had been called for the following day. Under the contract, patient ratios will be reduced to four to five per nurse on the day and evening shifts and no more than five on the night shift. ... Saint

Julie M. Donnelly, Boston Business Journal, May 19, 2011 Saint Vincent Hospital nurses announced Thursday they have voted to ratify a new three-year contract they say provides guaranteed staffing levels, a key sticking point in the dispute between nurses and management that almost led to a strike at the Worcester, Massachusetts hospital earlier this month. One provision will reduce the number of patients assigned to each nurse to four or five patients during the day, down from six, and to five patients during the night, down from seven. “This is a great victory for nurses and this community.

Lisa Eckelbecker, Worcester Telegram & Gazette, May 19, 2011

Worcester - Nurses at Saint Vincent Hospital have approved a new three-year contract, ending a labor dispute that nearly ended in a strike earlier this month.

The Massachusetts Nurses Association, which represents the 750 registered nurses, did not disclose the vote tally from last night but said the nurses voted overwhelmingly to ratify an agreement that runs from January 2010 to December 2012. The contract includes language related to staffing levels and a 1 percent wage increase for the year that started January 1, followed by another 1 percent wage increase in January 2012.

Pact Provides Nurses with Industry-Leading Improvements in RN Staffing Levels. No Nurse Will Be Assigned More than Four to Five Patients on Days, No More than Five Patients on Nights.
Pact also provides Improvements in Staffing for the Care of Maternity and Critical Care Patients. Massachusetts Nurses Association, May 18, 2011 Worcester - The registered nurses of the Saint Vincent Hospital cast an overwhelming vote tonight to ratify a new three-year contract. The three-year pact includes industry-leading, contractually enforceable RN-to-patient ratios that will transform the hospital from being one of the worst staffed hospitals in the state to one of the best. ... Saint

Massachusetts Nurses Association, May 18, 2011 Video of Berkshire Medical Center Picket

Cynthia McCormick, Cape Cod Times, May 17, 2011 Nurses are scheduled to conduct an informational picket this week outside Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis and Falmouth Hospital to protest what they say is lack of headway in negotiations for a new union contract. The 900 registered nurses at the two hospitals run by Cape Cod Healthcare are represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association. They say they've been meeting for months with administration to reach an agreement, including several sessions with a federal mediator. The nurses say the hospitals want to continue to force nurses to work extra hours and double shifts to cover for staffing shortages and refuse to grant raises.

Erika Susan Hussain, RN, Pittsfield, Berkshire Eagle, May 17, 2011

I have been working as a registered nurse for 11 years at Berkshire Medical Center. In that time I have never experienced such childish, hostile and divisive maneuvers by my superiors as I have encountered in the past months as the nurses and the hospital attempt to come to a contract settlement.

I would like to inform (Berkshire Health Systems director of human resources) Arthur Milano (letter, May 11) that the nurses who are working at Berkshire Medical Center are intelligent. We are not intimidated by threats that have been directed to us concerning the security of our jobs if we strike. These silly tactics have changed the minds of nurses who may have been on the hospital's side.

Massachusetts Nurses Association, May 16, 2011 Photo Gallery

News 10 WTEN, May 16, 2011 Dozens of Berkshire County nurses walked a picket line Monday night, to voice their concerns about patient care and a fair contract at Berkshire Medical Center. The nurses have been in negotiations with the hospital since July 2010, still unable to reach an agreement. The hospital and the nurses don't even agree on what they're fighting about, for the hospital says it's about money, while the nurses say it's anything but. Many of their complaints stem from the recent layoffs of 82 nurses, which they say has sacrificed quality care. However, the hospital says only 28 nurses were laid off. ... Nurses