06.18.2018

Strike Averted; Staffing, Wages Determined by Negotiations

Late Thursday night, Berkshire Medical Center and the Massachusetts Nurses Association reached an agreement on a contract, averting a strike planned for today. The proposal must be ratified by the hospital’s MNA nurses.

Both sides said the agreement was reasonable, and Berkshire issued a statement that read, “With the distraction and divisiveness of strike threats gone, we look forward to returning our focus solely to delivering the high-quality patient care that our community rightly expects of us.”

If the contentious negotiations proved anything it is that staffing concerns are part of active contract negotiations and should be settled on a case-by-case basis as part of the bargaining process. Imposing one-size-fits-all staffing on all hospitals – regardless of their size, patient makeup, education of nurses, or other factors – not only does not make sense for patient care, but it subverts the collective bargaining process.