Nurse Strike Possible In Worcester At Saint Vincent Hospital

WORCESTER, MA — Nurses at Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester will vote Wednesday on whether to strike following a breakdown in talks between union leaders and hospital managers over pay and working conditions.

The strike vote means that about 800 Saint Vincent nurses, who are represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA), are giving union negotiators the authorization to call a strike if necessary. The nurses have been calling attention to labor issues for months, and have been holding information pickets outside the downtown Worcester hospital.

The hospital has said it offered the nurses a new contract with raises ranging from 17 to 23 percent for some nurses, plus bonuses for nurses who work overtime. But according to the MNA, a "final" contract offer made on Jan. 28 failed to satisfy concerns over staffing levels.

The hospital's nurses have highlighted a policy called "flexing" as of particular concern. Under the policy, managers will cancel shifts, creating nurse shortages across the hospital, the MNA says.

Saint Vincent Hospital is owned by the Dallas-based for-profit company Tenet Healthcare. The company furloughed staff across the nation — including in Worcester and at the MetroWest Medical Center hospitals — during the first wave of coronavirus nearly one year ago. Tenet has still turned a profit during the pandemic, and received hundreds of million in federal stimulus support.

Wednesday's strike authorization vote will be held at Leo’s Ristorante in Worcester. The tally will be released by the end of the day. If nurses vote to authorize the strike, it would be up to union negotiators whether to actually call a work stoppage. If they do, it would be 10 days before nurses would walk off the job.