Nurses at Greenfield, Mass.-based Baystate Franklin Medical Center participated in a patient safety vigil April 5, days before a planned strike, according to The Recorder.
The vigil occurred amid contract negotiations between the hospital and the Massachusetts Nurses Association, which represents about 200 Baystate Franklin nurses. The nurses were rallying over issues such as staffing and health insurance plans, which remain key sticking points in bargaining, according to the report.
"Baystate Franklin Medical Center is a community hospital, funded by public dollars, and our patients have a right to receive the high-quality care they pay for," Donna Stern, RN, senior co-chair of the Baystate Franklin RN Bargaining Committee, said in a statement.
Both sides have been in negotiations since November 2016. Negotiations have been contentious at times, resulting in a one-day strike in June. Most recently, nurses postponed a strike planned for Feb. 28, but revealed new strike plans March 26. They have scheduled a one-day strike for April 11.
Hospital spokesperson Shelly Hazlett has called the strike plans "disheartening and disingenuous." She also previously noted hospital officials "have made considerable adjustments in our position on … major issues in order to reach a fair agreement."
Ms. Hazlett had no comment for this story.
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