BMC and Nurses Reach Tentative Agreement
According the Massachusetts Nurses Associations website, Berkshire Medical Center and it's 800 Nurses have reached a tentative agreement as of late last night, avoiding Monday's one day strike.
The statement from the MNA "The tentative agreement, which must be ratified by a vote of the 800 BMC nurses, averts a one-day strike scheduled for Monday, June 18. Nurses reached agreement with the hospital late Thursday night following three days of marathon bargaining sessions and a 22-month effort that brought together nurses and community members to make a positive impact on patient care and the treatments of RNs."
You can read the entire statement from the MNA here.
Berkshire Medical Center has put out statement as well regarding the tentative agreement.
"From the beginning of contract negotiations 45 sessions and 21 months ago, Berkshire Medical Center has sought an agreement with its registered nurses that was fair and reasonable for them and sustainable for the hospital and the community. We are pleased to report that after three marathon sessions on June 12, 13 and 14, the hospital and the Massachusetts Nurses Association have reached just such an agreement.
Having this contract finally settled is, of course, great news for the entire Berkshire community and all hospital employees. We appreciate the solid support that we received from our community and our employees during these challenging months.
With the distraction and divisiveness of strike threats now gone, we look forward to returning our focus solely to delivering the high quality patient care that our community rightly expects of us."