Hundreds of Massachusetts hospital staff walk out over work conditions

About 800 staff members working at a Massachusetts hospital went on strike on Monday after their negotiations with the hospital's management failed.

FoxNews reported that the issue that brought about the strike was a disagreement over staffing levels. At dawn, nurses and a number of their supporters gathered outside the St. Vincent Hospital.

Many held placards, which stated "Safe Staffing Now." Others showed signs with, "Picketing for our Patients and our Community."

The strike was a culmination of two years of contract negotiations between the management and the nurses. Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare, which is the owner of St. Vincent Hospital, and the nurses, did not reach an agreement

"Starting today, 800 nurses at St. Vincent Hospital are on strike after they say negotiations failed over safe staffing levels. Tenet Health, a Dallas-based company that owns the hospital, posted record profits in 2019. Tenet claims staffing levels are comparable to peer hospitals," tweeted Kelly Sullivan, along with a photo of the staff on strike.

Marlena Pellegrino, a nurse and a co-chair of the Massachusetts Nurses Association's local bargaining unit, said that they are sad to see that the hospital allegedly holds little value for their patients. However, she said that they are resolved to do whatever it takes to protect their patients, and that is for as long as it takes. For Pellegrino, it is safer to strike at present than to allow the owner of the hospital to continue endangering the patients daily on every shift. Telegram reported that Pellegrino emphasised that the nurses are strong.

According to the nurses at St. Vincent, they are required to take care of five patients, while other hospitals only care for four. They said that with COVID-19 precautions, taking care of the five patients has become hard.

Nurse

On the management's side, a statement read that they are disappointed on the "irresponsible decision" of going on strike, especially during a time when the country is dealing with the pandemic. The hospital reiterated though that they have a sufficient number of temporary nurses to ensure the safety and well-being of their patients.

The heath care system in the U.S. faced problems during the pandemic. Little by little though, with the vaccine rollout and more rapid home test kits made available for the public, there seems to be a glimmer of hope.