Milford Regional Nurses Raise Coronavirus Fears Amid Union Push

MILFORD, MA — Nurses at Milford Regional Medical Center are going public with concerns about safety during the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, an event that has pushed the nurses toward joining a labor union.

Last week, the Massachusetts Nurses Association said Milford Regional nurses are still dealing with personal protective equipment (PPE) rationing — including having to reuse N95 masks — and fatigue due to mandatory overtime shifts as the hospital sees more patients.

In a news release, one nurse said she was told to remove a patient from a room to make way for a coronavirus patient — which she refused to do.

"That positive patient was then put in front of our nurse’s station vomiting without a mask on. Hallways are just jam packed and COVID is no longer being efficiently contained," ER nurse Nicole Fournier said in a Jan. 7 news release.

According to new federal data released this week, Milford Regional was near 90 percent capacity as of Jan. 1 with 32 percent of patients being treated for COVID-19.

In response, the hospital has said it follows strict coronavirus safety protocols, and only asks nurses to work overtime in limited circumstances. About 170 hospital staff members have tested positive for the virus since the beginning of the pandemic, a Milford Regional spokesperson confirmed.

"From the outset of the pandemic, Milford Regional Medical Center has been aggressive in sourcing and providing safe, effective PPE to our staff and patients, implementing sound infection-control protocols, and supporting the health and safety of our employees, patients and broader community," Vice President of Public Relations Terri McDonald said in a statement.

The Milford nurses notified the federal National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in December about their desire to hold a union vote. According to the MNA, the state's largest nurses union, Milford Regional has hired the Crossroads Group, a firm run by two former union officials that helps employers counter pro-union drives.

The nurses say they have been organizing to join a union since 2019, but the pandemic pushed them over the edge. The nurses say they want union protection to guard against mandatory overtime, and to get items like coronavirus testing, hazard pay and paid time off to quarantine.

Other nurses are pushing for similar changes. The MNA-represented nurses at Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester have begun daily informational pickets as they push for a new contract.

The NLRB had not scheduled a union election for the Milford Regional nurses as of last week.