Nurses Say St. Vincent Hospital Is Breaking Strike Deal: Complaint

WORCESTER, MA — Nurses at St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester have filed an unfair labor complaint against their employer over a plan to increase the length of shifts, among other violations, according to a federal filing.

The Massachusetts Nurses Association said the hospital wants to increase nurses shifts from 8 hours to 12 hours beginning May 1. The change was not negotiated with the nurses, which union leaders say violates a deal that ended the 301-day strike at the hospital in January.

Nurses learned about the change in shift lengths at the end of March, according to the MNA, giving the nurses two months to prepare — an unusually short period, a union leader said.

“At most any other hospital represented by the MNA, such a change would occur over an extended period of time, in a good faith process of negotiation with the union to ensure a smooth transition, accommodating the needs of the nurses impacted, while ensuring safe patient care delivery. That has not been the case here at St. Vincent,” MNA Executive Director Julie Pinkham said in a news release Tuesday.

The MNA filed an NLRB grievance on April 21, according to federal case files, alleging that the hospital violated three labor standards: unilaterally changing a contract, refusing to provide information and refusing to bargain.

The nurses want federal officials to halt the shift change before May 1, and for hospital executives to bargain with nurses over any change in shifts.