Marlborough Hospital Nurses Ratify 3-Year Contract

The nurses at Marlborough Hospital have settled on a contract they say will improve RN-to-patient staffing and overall patient safety.

The RNs at Marlborough Hospital, represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association, voted to ratify a three-year contract.

The settlement was reached with UMass Memorial Health Care last month, and the result of 10 months of negotiations. It also marked the last MNA-represented hospital in the UMass Memorial system to settle a contract. Nurses have recently settled at the UMass Memorial and UMass University campuses, and at UMass Memorial HealthAlliance campuses in Leominster, Clinton and Burbank.

The MNA represents 198 nurses at Marlborough Hospital. Their votes on the contract were tallied on Monday. Highlights of the contract, expiring Nov. 14, 2017, include:

· The creation of a Marlborough RN Staffing Committee. Its goal will be to review and issue recommendations to hospital management concerning RN staffing concerns that have been brought forward by RNs throughout the hospital.

· Reasonable wage increases for nurses, including a 4.5 percent pay increase over the life of the contract