Nurses at Marlborough Hospital Reach Contract Agreement

The nurses union at Marlborough Hospital have come to a tentative agreement on a three-year contract aimed at improving RN-to-patient staffing and overall patient safety.

Represented by Massachusetts Nurses Association, the nurses and UMass Memorial Health Care reached a tentative agreement on Tuesday, said an announcement.

Marlborough Hospital is the last MNA-represented hospital in the UMass Memorial system to settle a contract, which was negotiated for ten months.

Nurses have recently settled at the UMass Memorial and UMass University campuses, and at UMass Memorial HealthAlliance campuses in Leominster and Burbank.

“We are very pleased with the outcome of the negotiations,” said Julie Lyver, RN and chairperson of the of the MNA/Marlborough Hospital bargaining unit, in a statement. “We feel this agreement strengthens our respectful relationship with hospital management.”

In a statement from UMass Memorial-Marlborough Hospital, Steve Roach, president and CEO, said, “It has been a collaborative effort for both parties involved and I want to thank members of both the MNA and administration for their hard work in the contract renewal process, said Steve Roach, president and CEO. Our patients remain the central focus of our hospital and all of our caregivers. This agreement allows us to maintain that focus with a renewed emphasis on enhancing our patients’ experience.”

The MNA represents 198 nurses at Marlborough Hospital. Highlights of the tentative agreement 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.

The contract is expected to be ratified by mid-September and would expire Nov. 14, 2017.