National Nurses United

NewsBriefs.REV_June REV 8/20/10 4:36 PM Page 6 NEWS BRIEFS North Adams Regional Hospital Nurses Set to Strike MASSACHUSETTS fter months of fruitless negotiations with the hospital's recalcitrant anti-union lawyer, the 103 registered nurses of North Adams Regional Hospital are girding for a strike to protect their patients and their quality of life, as their management is refusing to relent in its demands for a host of concessions that would decimate the nurses' union contract, while creating conditions that would compromise patient care. The nurses have responded with an intensive public campaign within this small college town nestled in the Berkshires of far northwestern Massachusetts. Lawns signs picturing a crowd of nurses, with the slogan, "We are Family" are ever present outside homes and businesses throughout the small town, with billboards and radio ads carrying the nurses' call for public support for their A 6 N AT I O N A L N U R S E effort to "protect the quality of your care and the quality of our lives." Support for the strike among the nurses themselves was virtually unanimous, with the job action authorized by a vote of 89–1. Negotiations began in January when management put forth a series of concessions that would leave the union contract totally meaningless. "We have tried to find a way to convince management that the concessions would be very harmful to our patients and they haven't wanted to hear," said Ruth O'Hearn, an ICU RN and co-chair of the bargaining unit. "We have good contract language that protects our quality of patient care. Management wants to remove this language and other language that will protect our patients." "We have been offering for months now to work with management as they go through tough financial times. Instead of taking up our offer, NARH has given the nurses no option other than setting the strike date. We have absolutely no idea why W W W. N A T I O N A L N U R S E S U N I T E D . O R G the hospital has decided to force a strike, and the enormous costs that are associated with it, at a time when they claim to be in such financial trouble. The hospital is a very important resource and we are doing all we can to protect it," said unit co-chair Mary McConnell, RN. "We are willing to put ourselves on the J U LY | A U G U S T 2 0 1 0

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