Community leaders are getting involved n a contract dispute between nurses and Steward Holy Family Hospital at Merrimack Valley in Haverhill, Mass.
A delegation of community leaders from Greater Haverhill are slated to visit the hospital, part of Boston-based Steward Health Care, to hand-deliver a letter to hospital President Joseph Roach to "express concerns for the nurses who provide dedicated care at our hospital," and to appeal for fair treatment of the nurses in protracted negotiations for a new union contract.
The nurses' previous contract with the hospital expired last March.
The delegation delivering the letter Thursday will include the Rev. Ralph Galen of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Wakefield; Paul Georges, president of the United Teachers of Lowell and the Merrimack Valley Central Labor Council; Lisa Begley, president of the Haverhill Education Association; and Ed Adley, business agent with Teamsters Local 170, according to the Massachusetts Nurses Association, which represents 145 registered nurses at HFHMV.
"As community leaders, we have a vested interest in the future of our community hospital and in the fair treatment of those dedicated caregivers who play such a key role in success of this facility and the health and safety of the patients under their care," Rev. Galen, who is helping lead the community effort to support the nurses, said in a statement. "In making this personal appeal, we want to ensure that Mr. Roach understands that this is more than an issue of a union contract, but an issue central to the public health of our community."
This latest letter is not the only support the HFHMV nurses have received. The state legislative delegation representing communities served by the hospital last month also sent a letter to Mr. Roach, urging him to "negotiate a fair contract with the nurses so they can continue to provide the best care to the people of our communities," the MNA said.
The nurses have been attempting for several months to negotiate a new union contract. However, the union claims the hospital "failed to engage in a good faith effort to negotiate with the nurses." As a result, the nurses filed two unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board against the facility, claiming the hospital bargained in bad faith, the MNA said.
Hospital spokeswoman Jean MacDougall-Tattan said in a statement that the hospital is "proud of the quality care provided by hospital doctors, nurses and staff to our patients every day" and "take[s] pride in the collaborative work we have done with multiple unions to continue improving care and jobs within the facility."
At the most recent negotiating session Aug. 3, Ms. MacDougall-Tattan said HFHMV continued to offer across-the-board raises and the preservation of existing step increases for MNA members.
To date, 15 negotiating sessions have been held with the next session scheduled for Aug. 23. Ms. MacDougall-Tattan said the hospital will review the letter and looks forward to continuing negotiations with nurses at that time.
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