Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | August 16, 2021 | Worcester Business Journal 5 C E N T R A L M AS S I N B R I E F Saint Vincent to now permanently replace all striking nurses V E R BAT I M Vaccine mandates "With a more infectious variant and positive COVID cases on the rise, it's clear that this pandemic is not over." Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, announcing she will require her staff to be vaccinated by the end of September Community response "This is a critical step in ensuring we provide the necessary resources to community members in their immediate time of need." Worcester City Manager Edward Augustus, on city's request for a mental health service provider to lead a new model for situations with people in mental health crisis, replacing the current police response model Fight against hackers "It's not enough to try to keep hackers out." Andrew Clark, assistant professor of electrical & computer engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, on his project aiming to develop a second line of cyber defense for systems already hacked A er the striking members of the Massachusetts Nurses Association union on Aug. 5 rejected what Saint Vincent Hospital officials framed as their best and final offer, the Worcester healthcare provider on Aug. 7 announced it would perma- nently fill the remaining open positions vacated by the 800 union nurses. In May, Saint Vincent said it would begin permanently hiring replacements for the MNA members who hadn't crossed the picket line in the now five- month-long strike. At the time, Saint Vincent said if the strike ended, any nurse whose position was filled would be given preferential hiring treatment when vacancies did arise. On Aug. 7, Saint Vincent said it has hired replacements for more than 100 striking nurses and another 38 were in the hiring process. Together with union nurses who crossed the picket line, Saint Vincent has more than 200 nurses employed at the hospital, as of Aug. 7. "We are enthused by the contin- ued interest of applicants for all our nursing positions and are focused on continuing to deliver the quality care we are known for," Saint Vincent CEO Carolyn Jackson said in a press release. "I want to express my sincere appre- ciation for all caregivers, especially the Saint Vincent nurses who put our patients first by crossing the MNA's picket line, for their courage and resilience." e main sticking point in the MNA strike has been over the patient-to- nurse staffing ratios at Saint Vincent. e MNA has been trying to lower the ratios at Massachusetts hospitals for several years, most notably with a 2018 ballot initiative, which was defeated at the polls aer the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association heavily campaigned against the measure. On Aug. 5, Saint Vincent put forth what it termed as its last, best, and fi- nal offer to the nurses, which included the offer to hire more nurses in certain departments, as well as raises and ben- efit increases for all MNA nurses. At the time, the hospital, which is owned by Dallas for-profit provider Tenet Healthcare, didn't specify what the repercussions would be if the union rejected that offer. e union rejected the offer the same day. In its announcement Aug. 7 saying it would begin posting the rest of the striking nurses' positions over the next few days, Saint Vincent said it doesn't see the value in continuing any mediation with the union, although it would consider any response the union BY BRAD KANE Worcester Business Journal Editor has to the latest offer from the hospital. "We don't believe Tenet's claim regarding their hiring of replacement nurses, as this is just another in a series of cynical and reprehensible ploys by this multi-billion dollar corporation to intimidate the nurses, instead of engag- ing in a good faith negotiation with the nurses, as was recommended last week, to provide the staffing levels the nurses to need to protect their patients to end this strike," MNA spokesman David Schildmeier said. W Signs supporting the striking Saint Vincent Hospital union nurses dot yards throughout Worcester. PHOTO/GRANT WELKER

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