New England nurses set to strike May 5 and 6

FierceHealthcare, April 27, 2011 Nursing groups at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, Maine, Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester, Massachusetts, and Tufts Medical Center in Boston announced yesterday they're each planning a single-day strike. EMMC nurses say they'll walk out on May 5 and Boston clinicians on May 6. All three groups cite staffing levels as their core concern and are clearly frustrated with contract negotiations that have dragged on since 2009. Earlier this month, hospital administrators reported rumors that clinicians would strike just before the Easter holiday, but the unions only just gave their required 10-day notice yesterday. ... New