Major MA Labor Union Urges End To St. Vincent Strike

WORCESTER, MA — One of the largest labor organizations in the state is urging federal and state lawmakers to act to end the 200-plus day nurses strike at St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester.

Massachusetts AFL-CIO President Steven Tolman said the labor organization is concerned about the quality of care being offered at St. Vincent in the midst of a pandemic with close to 700 nurses still on strike.

"Tenet management has developed unacceptable conditions in response to the ongoing nurses strike, in the middle of a pandemic," Tolman said in a letter Monday. "The effects of this situation continue to have direct ramifications for the success of the Worcester and central Massachusetts community."

The Worcester area has seen a shortage of hospital beds recently due to rising coronavirus cases. Meanwhile, St. Vincent removed 80 beds from service in August citing the strike.

Nurses represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA) and hospital executives agreed to a new contract in August, but nurses are still on strike due to an impasse over how the nurses will return to work. The hospital hired replacement nurses during the strike, and has said some striking nurses may not be able to return to their original jobs.

Local elected officials last week put pressure on St. Vincent CEO Carolyn Jackson and the hospital's owner, Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare, to end the strike. Last week, Mayor Joseph Petty called on Tenet executives to come to Worcester to handle negotiations.

In response, a hospital spokesperson said the return-to-work agreement must include "all nurses currently working at SVH as well as those on strike who wish to return given the nursing shortage across Massachusetts and the country." The hospital also said that the MNA's own website highlights that workers who go on an economic strike may not necessarily be entitled to return to their original jobs.

Tolman's letter was addressed to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, every Congressperson from Massachusetts and Worcester's entire state delegation.

"We are calling on you to do everything in your power to impel [Tenet] to do the right thing for the Worcester community and settle this strike," Tolman's letter said. "If they do not do so, then Tenet management must be held responsible for the damage they are inflicting upon our members and the community that they serve."