St. Luke’s Hospital nurses ratified on February 25 an agreement reached on February 17 with Southcoast Health that will help address nurse retention and recruitment issues exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic
NEW BEDFORD, Mass. , Feb. 26, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Registered nurses at St. Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford, represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association, voted on February 25 to ratify their first union contract, which will empower them to provide safe, high-quality patient care by securing enforceable standards and improvements.
“Our union contract will immediately benefit nurses, our patients and communities and make positive impacts for years to come,” said Karen Corbett, FCU nurse and Co-Chair of the MNA Bargaining Committee. “St. Luke’s nurses are an incredible group of caregivers who have persevered through a global pandemic. This contract values our dedication to patient care and will help us hold Southcoast Health accountable for providing the conditions nurses need to thrive at St. Luke’s.”
Nurses reached a tentative agreement with Southcoast on February 17 and voted to ratify the agreement on February 25. The agreement followed almost three years of negotiations, interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and covers nearly 700 nurses at St. Luke’s Hospital. During an informational picket in January, nurses called on Southcoast to quickly…
