Nurses in NY, Massachusetts in the news over disputes with management
The never-ending battle between labor and management has reached the nursing profession, and seems to have reached the boiling point in some locales.
At 7 a.m. Wednesday morning, some 200 nurses at Baystate Franklin Medical Center in Greenfield, MA, plan to walk off the job for the second time in under a year. The protestors complain of being understaffed and overworked, and demand staffing requirements should be written into contracts.
The hospital, in response, is initiating a three-day lockout starting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, during which they will employ temporary nurses.
Meanwhile, nurses at Albany Medical Center are attempting to unionize for the first time in over 15 years. On three previous occasions in the early 2000s, attempt to form a union at the Center failed, but inspired by successful unionizations across the state, they will vote again this Thursday and Friday.
This time around, the nurses seek representation with the New York State Nurses Association, the state’s largest nursing union.
SOURCES: New York Upstate, WWLP
