800 nurses at a Massachusetts hospital preparing to strike

March 8, 2021

WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) — Nurses at St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester are planning to strike on Monday following what they described as failed negotiations with Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare, which owns the hospital.

The nurses said in a press release that Tenet has refused to address their call for needed staffing improvements to ensure safer patient care. They scheduled a rally in Worcester on Sunday night ahead of the planned strike.

“It is clear from Tenet’s hardline stance on staffing that they are intent on forcing nurses to strike,” Marlena Pellegrino, a registered nurse and co-chair of the bargaining unit, said in a press release.

“We are resolved to do whatever it takes for as long as it takes to protect our patients, as it is safer to strike now than allow Tenet to continue endangering our patients,” she said. “We are always ready to get back to the table to negotiate whenever Tenet is ready do the same.”

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Nurses begin strike at St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester

Mike Elfland Telegram & Gazette
Published 6:07 a.m. ET Mar. 8, 2021 | Updated 6:34 a.m. ET Mar. 8, 2021

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WORCESTER - With contract talks in a negotiation standoff, nurses at St. Vincent Hospital went on strike at 6 a.m. Monday.

Nurses gathered at the Summer Street entrance of the hospital, starting a picket line that is expected to be in place until a deal is reached. Nurses say they will picket from 6 a.m. to midnight each day.

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The nurses union at the hospital, represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association, has about 800 members.

Negotiations continued into the weekend. On Sunday, U.S. Senators Edward Markey and Elizabeth Warren, and U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern of Worcester, issued a joint statement saying they were backing the nurses in the dispute, and “ready and willing to help in any way we can to resolve this situation in a fair and equitable way.”

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