HealthAlliance nurses ratify contract

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By Rick Saia

Nurses at HealthAlliance Hospital in Leominster have ratified a new, two-year labor contract that improves staffing ratios and adds new positions, according to their union, the Massachusetts Nurses Association.

The nurses and the hospital, part of the UMass Memorial Health Care system, had reached a tentative agreement June 30, a week after nurses at the hospital authorized a one-day strike after the two sides had failed to come to terms on a new deal. The nurses picketed twice in the last year, following the expiration of their previous contract in May 2014. A major sticking point for the nurses had been staffing levels, with the nurses arguing that the limit of six patients to one nurse at the time was too high.

The new contract cuts that patient limit to five, according to the union.

In addition, the contract, which will run through July 21, 2017, provides:

The addition of new nursing positions throughout the hospital;
A guarantee that charge nurses, including charge nurses in the hospital’s critical care unit, will not carry a patient assignment; and
A lump sum bonus of 1 percent and a 2-percent wage increase over the life of the contract.

When the two sides reached agreement last month, a statement from the hospital said the deal “balances the needs of our patients and the community. We maintain that addressing issues collaboratively and partnering with each other in the symbiotic relationship of hospital and nurse is the best path forward.”