Health

12 HE ALTH • Summer 2021 I n mid-May, Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester announced it had opened a total of 102 positions to permanent replacements for union nurses who have been on strike since March 8. But Marlena Pellegrino, a registered nurse who is one of the leaders of the strike, said she's skeptical many nurses are stepping up to fill the positions. Many in the heavily unionized profession refuse to cross picket lines. But, even beyond that, Pellegrino said, filling positions at the hospital was a challenge even before the strike began. "We had 85 vacancies before we went on strike that were not filled for months and months just because of the poor working conditions, the lack of respect, and the unsafe staffing," she said. Anita Holbrook, Saint Vincent chief human relations officer, disputed Pellegrino's statements. When it comes to the replacement worker hiring, she said, the hospital has successfully attracted both external candidates and strikers who chose to cross the picket line by offering attractive positions nurses with less seniority might normally not be able to get. "We have a great opportunity because we're posting positions for day shift primarily, and for specialty units," Holbrook said. Yet Holbrook agreed with Pellegrino, outside of the strike, filling positions hasn't been easy over the past few years. That's related to both pressures created by the COVID-19 pandemic and longer-term issues in the healthcare industry. "There was a national shortage before the pandemic," Holbrook said. Advantage to the workers The conf lict between Saint Vincent management and nurses affiliated with the Massachusetts Nurses Association union highlights the difficulty hospitals and other healthcare employers in Central Massachusetts and across the country are facing as a variety of factors converge to make it hard to fill positions. Melissa Franklin, director of Favorite Healthcare Staffing in Worcester, said the entire healthcare industry is having a hard time recruiting workers right now. She said temporary COVID- related positions like working at vaccination clinics can pay more than regular permanent jobs. "It makes it more difficult to find a nurse to go to work for $40 an hour," she said. Franklin said she's finding it hard to fill lower-paid jobs like medical e effort to fill permanent replacement positions at Saint Vincent puts a spotlight on healthcare worker shortages across the industry Facing the healthcare staffing shortage • By Livia Gershon PHOTOS/GRANT WELKER Marlena Pellegrino, a Saint Vincent nurse and one of the leaders of the strike On June 8, the Saint Vincent Hospital nurses strike hit the three- month mark, making it one of the longest-running nurses strikes nationally in the past decade, according to the Massachusetts Nurses Association union.

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