Boston Herald Editorial, September 6, 2011

Silly us, we assumed a labor union that represents nurses was in the business of negotiating fair pay and decent working conditions for those who do the difficult work of caring for the sick. We didn’t realize that federal tax policy and securities regulation were part of its portfolio.

Prizes Include a Night Out on the Town, Catered Lunch for Nurses on the Unit and Theater Tickets. Massachusetts Nurses Association, September 6, 2011 Contests, co-sponsored by the MNA/NNU, are being held in conjunction with a radio advertising campaign featuring MNA members talking about the importance of safe staffing in anticipation of the State House Hearing on our safe staffing legislation on September 20th. Take the time to nominate an extraordinary colleague or friend. Follow the links below to learn more and participate. ... Three

Massachusetts Nurses Association, September 5, 2011 Hartmann: Nurses & Wall Street - What's the connection? ... NNU

Massachusetts Green-Rainbow Party, September 2011 Second union to endorse a Green-Rainbow Party candidate in a high-profile partisan special election. Three weeks in advance of a contested September 20 Democratic Party primary, a second major union has already made up its mind to endorse Green-Rainbow Party candidate Mark Miller in the October 18 special election. The Mark Miller campaign issued the following press release today ... Massachusetts

Conor Berry, Springfield Republican, August 27, 2011 Northampton - After contract negotiations between nurses and management at Cooley Dickinson Hospital reached an impasse Thursday, hospital administrators announced they would seek a mediator to help resolve a dispute over nurses' retirement benefits and a so-called successor clause to maintain contract terms if the hospital merges with a larger organization. A merger appears all but inevitable for the financially burdened hospital, which is actively holding discussions with Springfield's Baystate Health and Boston's Massachusetts General Hospital, among other prominent health care organizations. ... Breakdown

Massachusetts Nurses Association, September 1, 2011 On September 1 we asked our Legislators around the country to support the Wall Street Transaction Tax, which will make Wall Street pay for the devastation it has caused on Main Street. It is the only way for us to reclaim the American dream - good jobs, healthcare for all, quality education, housing, protection from hunger, and a secure retirement for everyone, not just those who profited by ruining our economy. ... Worcester

Massachusetts Nurses Association, September 1, 2011 On September 1 we asked our Legislators around the country to support the Wall Street Transaction Tax, which will make Wall Street pay for the devastation it has caused on Main Street. It is the only way for us to reclaim the American dream - good jobs, healthcare for all, quality education, housing, protection from hunger, and a secure retirement for everyone, not just those who profited by ruining our economy. ... Boston

Massachusetts Nurses Association, September 1, 2011 Video footage from today's Main Street Contract Event in Boston ... MNA

Colleen Quinn, State House News Service, September 1, 2011

Boston – Arguing that big banks and investment firms should pay for “reckless” policies that sparked the nation’s economic downturn, the state’s largest union of nurses urged US Senator Scott Brown Thursday to support a tax on stock trades, debt purchases, credit swaps and other Wall Street transactions.

John Nichols, The Nation, August 26, 2011 Elizabeth Warren's all-but-announced candidacy for the Massachusetts US Senate seat once held by Edward Kennedy is a state-based campaign. But it has national implications. It's not just that a Warren candidacy could provide Democrats with a needed pick-up of a currently Republican-held seat - although that's a big deal for the party, which faces a dismal electoral map in 2012. If the Harvard Law School professor who became the chief advocate for real banking reform and the development of a federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau runs and defeats US Senator Scott Brown, R-Massachusetts ... Elizabeth

Sam Stein, Huffington Post, August 25, 2011 Washington - Even before formally entering the Massachusetts Senate race, consumer advocate and Harvard professor Elizabeth Warren has picked up a major union endorsement. The former Obama administration official who spearheaded the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, received the unsolicited backing of the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA) on Tuesday. The endorsement came before Warren, a Democrat, has said whether or not she will actually challenge Senator Scott Brown (R-MA) for his seat. ... Elizabeth

Kathy Reardon, RN, Canton, Patriot Ledger, August 25, 2011 I was at the hearing last night (August 9) and was appalled by Joe Maher’s comments. He showed blatant disregard for the nurses. I’d like to know what his pension is going to be. I’m a registered nurse at Norwood Hospital and am also co-chair of our bargaining unit. I was part of these negotiations with Steward. We worked very hard and a lot of long hours to negotiate this contract. We didn’t ask for exorbitant salaries or extra benefits. We negotiated a fair and equitable contract for our nurses. He wasn’t part of our negotiations; we know who was there, and both sides signed on the dotted line. Now they’re trying to back out of the deal. Despicable. Copyright 2011 The Patriot Ledger. Some rights reserved

Suzanne Wilson, Daily Hampshire Gazette, August 25, 2011

Northampton - Amid uncertainty about whether and when Cooley Dickinson Hospital will change hands, registered nurses took to the picket lines Wednesday, saying they are worried they could lose protections and benefits if new owners take over.

Meanwhile, though hospital officials have acknowledged they are exploring an affiliation with a larger institution, an administrator Wednesday said a merger or acquisition could be in the hospital's future.

Dozens picket outside of Cooley Dickinson Hospital. Anaridis Rodriguez, WWLP, August 24, 2011 Northampton - Registered nurses at Cooley Dickinson Hospital are fighting to keep their contracts. Their contract expired in January but they have yet to reach a compromise with hospital management. "I'm a little frustrated. I think that, I wish things would have moved along more than they have as far as our contract negotiations go," said Maria Etkin, a registered nurse at Cooley Dickinson Hospital. Etkin has been working for Cooley Dickinson Hospital for 24 years and was one of the dozens of registered nurses who took their contract fight to the streets. ... Nurses

Staffing, Successor Language & Securing Their Pension Are the Issues.
Massachusetts Nurses Association, August 23, 2011

The Registered Nurses at Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton are taking their contract fight to the streets with an informational picket scheduled for August 24. The yearlong contract negotiations have come down to three very important issues, staffing, successor language and  protection of their defined benefit pension.