Nurses at Boston-based Tufts Medical Center are actively preparing for a one-day strike after two days of unsuccessful negotiations with the hospital this week.
The Massachusetts Nurses Association, which represents approximately 1,200 hospital nurses, has been in negotiations with Tufts for approximately 14 months. Last week, nurses rejected the hospital's "last, best and final" offer, and two negotiating sessions took place this week.
However, the two sides have not been able to reach an agreement, with key sticking points remaining such as staffing, wages and retirement benefits, the union said in a news release. No additional negotiating sessions have been set, according to The Boston Globe.
Meanwhile, the MNA said nurses are preparing for a strike, although the union has not yet set a strike date or issued the required 10-day strike notice.
"We're willing to go to the table. We're also willing to move forward with our plan for a one-day strike," Mary Cornacchia, a Tufts nurse who co-chairs the MNA's bargaining unit, told The Boston Globe.
Tufts spokesperson Brooke Hynes indicated the hospital, too, was willing to go back to the bargaining table, in a statement to The Boston Globe.
"We are completely perplexed and greatly concerned by the union’s push for a strike," she said. "We made significant movement this week to our proposal at the request of the MNA committee. We remain willing to meet and work toward a mutually beneficial solution."
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