Nurses at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital say they intend to authorize a one-day strike if they do not receive fair compensation from the owner of the Island hospital.
The Massachusetts Nurses Association — the largest nurses’ union in the state, representing roughly 100 registered nurses on the Island — released a statement Thursday saying that they voted overwhelmingly on a “potential one-day strike” following months of negotiations and a refusal from the hospital’s owner, Mass General Brigham, to invest adequately in permanent nurses, instead relying on traveling nurses.
“Mass General Brigham is treating nurses unequally throughout the system, leading to staffing issues for permanent nurses at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, and prompting us to take a strike authorization vote to secure a fair contract and protect patient care,” Laura Hilliard, a registered nurse at the Island hospital, and Massachusetts Nurses Association chair, said in a statement. “We are passionate about caring for our Island’s patients, and will fight for the resources we need to provide safe, high-quality care to the community we serve.”
The union and the hospital have been in contract negotiations since the spring.
The union lists a number of complaints in its statement, including that uncompetitive wages coupled with the high cost of living on the Vineyard have increased permanent staffing shortfalls, and “put the health of nurses and patients at risk.”
In their contract negotiations, nurses are seeking improved health insurance costs.
A hospital spokesperson said they have completed 10 bargaining sessions to date with the nurses’ union, and have offered “considerable” wage increases.
“We have also discussed the high cost of living on Martha’s Vineyard, and the impact it has on all of our employees, including nurses,” a spokesperson for Martha’s Vineyard Hospital said. “We return to the bargaining table next week, and our focus remains on continuing the negotiation process while providing high-quality, safe care for our patients.
“If a strike does take place as the union indicated, we are prepared to provide the care our patients expect without interruption,” the statement concluded.
The union says that a date for a strike has not been scheduled. If a day is scheduled, the union said, it would give the hospital a 10-day notice.
The union said that the existing group of approximately 66 unionized hospital nurses were joined in the strike authorization vote by 35 ambulatory-care nurses who voted to join the MNA in July.
