Nurses and administrators at Tufts Medical Center in Boston are "close" to agreeing to a contract, which would avert a strike planned for Friday, according to a Boston Globe report.
The nurses, represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association, are said to still be in disagreement with the system over nurse-to-patient ratios. The hospital is pushing for nurses to care for up to six patients at a time during day and evening shifts, while the nurses seek to limit the number to five. The two groups have reached a compromise on staffing levels for the overnight shift and intensive care units, according to the report.
If an agreement is not reached before Friday, Tufts will staff the hospital with temporary nurses.
Tufts is one of two Massachusetts hospitals threatening a strike on Friday. Nurses at Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester, Mass., are also scheduled to strike. Their negotiations are ongoing.
Read the Boston Globe report on Tufts Medical Center.
Read related articles on Tufts Medical Center:
Tufts' Nurses Plan Strike for May 6
Nurses at Tufts Medical Center Scheduled to Vote on Strike
Boston's Tufts Medical Center CEO Ellen Zane Retires
The nurses, represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association, are said to still be in disagreement with the system over nurse-to-patient ratios. The hospital is pushing for nurses to care for up to six patients at a time during day and evening shifts, while the nurses seek to limit the number to five. The two groups have reached a compromise on staffing levels for the overnight shift and intensive care units, according to the report.
If an agreement is not reached before Friday, Tufts will staff the hospital with temporary nurses.
Tufts is one of two Massachusetts hospitals threatening a strike on Friday. Nurses at Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester, Mass., are also scheduled to strike. Their negotiations are ongoing.
Read the Boston Globe report on Tufts Medical Center.
Read related articles on Tufts Medical Center:
Tufts' Nurses Plan Strike for May 6
Nurses at Tufts Medical Center Scheduled to Vote on Strike
Boston's Tufts Medical Center CEO Ellen Zane Retires