Tufts Medical Center Hit By First Nurses Strike In Boston In 31 Years

BOSTON (CBS) — More than 1,200 nurses at Tufts Medical Center went on strike at 7 a.m. Wednesday after last-minute negotiations between the union and the hospital failed. It’s the first nurses strike in Boston in more than 30 years. The one-day strike at Tufts is a protest of what the Massachusetts Nurses Association says are the hospital’s “safety issues.” They’re asking for more nurses, wage improvements, and pension protections for the nurses they represent at the hospital. “It’s not a place that any of us wanted to be but we feel very much forced into this situation,” said Mary Havlicek Cornacchia. “The administration has not been listening to our concerns all along.” More nurses walking out of Tufts Medical Center to join the 24-hour strike- the first nurses strike in Boston in more than 30 years #wbz pic.twitter.com/is1REiYcvO — Anna Meiler (@AnnaMeiler) July 12, 2017 The hospital says it can’t afford it and that anyone who chooses to strike will be locked out for an additional four days. “The final sticking point is the union’s insistence that our nurses’ retirement savings be co-mingled in a much larger and riskier pension fund.  The plan is risky for the Medical Center and for nurses, not to mention much more expensive,” Chief Nursing Officer Terry Hudson-Jinks said in a statement Wednesday. “It is extremely unfortunate that the union has continued to hold out for more money and an ill-conceived ...
Source: WBZ-TV - Breaking News, Weather and Sports for Boston, Worcester and New Hampshire - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Business Consumer Health Local News Syndicated Local Massachusetts Nurses Association Tufts Medical Center Tufts Nurse Strike Source Type: news