Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey called a meeting at the State House Wednesday with Brigham and Women’s Hospital nurses who are on strike, and hospital leadership to try and negotiate and end to the strike. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu was also in attendance.
Approximately 4,500 nurses and clinicians took to the picket line Wednesday morning. The Massachusetts Nurses Association said the point of the work stoppage is to force Mass General Brigham, the state’s largest healthcare system, back to the bargaining table.
“It’s so sad that it’s come to this. It’s not what we wanted,” said Meghan Collins, a Trauma Surgical ICU Nurse at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
“We all live paycheck to paycheck. Mass General Brigham would have you think we’re getting paid a fortune and dripping in dollars,” said Jen DeVincent, a representative of the Massachusetts Nurses Association.
The union representing the nurses said the issue comes down to disagreements over wages and insurance costs.
“All we’re asking for is fair pay. We know inflation has gone up a lot and we haven’t got any raises. All we’re looking for is cost of living. That’s it,” said Brian Simon, a Registered Nurse at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
Mass General Brigham is offering its regular five percent raise and said, “The MNA’s current proposal would add an additional $128 million in nursing labor costs…illustrating the significant financial impact of the proposal on the hospital’s overall operating budget.”
Administrators admit the union faces a modest increase in health insurance costs, but said their nurses are among the highest paid in the market.
David Levesque, a patient who said he had a cancerous tumor removed from the hospital, were among those raising their voices and concerns with the nurses Wednesday.
“I’m here today because of these nurses, and I’ll stand behind them 100 percent. I will,” Levesque said.
The nurses union is hoping pressure from the public as well as concerns about patient care while they are on the picket line will push the hospital to act.
“We know that in the oncology service, there are supposed to be three bone marrow transplants today. We don’t know if they’re getting their cells or anyone is qualified to do that,” said Michele Hassler, a representative of the Massachusetts Nurses Association.
A spokesperson for the hospital said 1,300 temporary nurses have received extensive training and are in place, but elected officials have shown up on the picket line and are pushing for an end to the strike.
“No one’s talking and you got to have a discussion. You got to talk, you got to understand their concerns,” said Massachusetts Congressman Seth Moulton.
Bangla Zoom is most popular bangladeshi website. We are working with bengali news, english news headlines, bangla blog tips, bangla health tips, entertainmnet and more bangla helpful tips.
from Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News
Source: https://whdh.com/news/healey-meeting-with-brigham-and-womens-nurses-hospital-leaders-to-negotiate-end-to-strike/
Comments
Post a Comment