Nurses at Baystate Health's Noble Hospital in Westfield, Mass., plan to picket Wednesday over contract negotiations, according to a Boston Business Journal report.
The workers, represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association, have been in contract negotiations with management since February 2016.
A key sticking point in the negotiations is staffing levels, along with benefits and wages, according to the report.
"Nurses are trying to get safe patient limits into contract in form of staffing grid in each unit of the hospital," Joe Markman, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Nurses Association, which represents 130 nurses at Noble, told the Boston Business Journal. "It outlines how many nurses there should be working at any given time based on census and shift."
Representatives from Springfield, Mass.-based Baystate Health provided the following statement to the publication via email.
"While we do not believe that staffing patterns should be part of a contract, we have had a positive dialogue with our nursing team about our approach to staffing. In addition, routine labor management meetings provide a regular outlet for discussing any concerns in a timely manner."
According to the report, hospital executives also said a wage increase is expected, and nurses were offered various other options around time off, health insurance and other benefits.
Both sides are scheduled to head back to the bargaining table Jan. 18, according to the report.
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