Brigham and Women’s gears up for a contract battle as nurses union worries about pay, safety

[unhappycamper]

http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2015/10/05/nurses-administrators-brigham-and-women-hospital-gear-for-contract-battle/yOiJm2xgnD7ceiiiOcPC9J/story.html



Contentious labor negotiations are underway — again — between nurses and administrators at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Brigham and Women’s gears up for a contract battle as nurses union worries about pay, safety
By Melissa Bailey
October 05, 2015

Contentious labor negotiations are underway — again — between nurses and administrators at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

“We do expect a big fight,” said lead union negotiator Shelley Reever of the Massachusetts Nurses Association, which represents 3,200 nurses at the Brigham.

The nurses’ 2½-year contract expired on Sept. 30. They’re now squaring off over pay, benefits, and a topic that’s not in the current contract: nurses’ input on hospital security protocols. The last contract negotiations stretched 11 months.

Here’s a peek at some issues they’re fighting about:

Pay: Wages range widely in the union, from around $31 to more than $68 an hour. Nurses — except for those at the very top — already receive annual 5 percent raises. The union is instead asking for a 9 percent increase for all nurses this year.

[merrily]

1. Solidarity with all workers, but I practically worship nurses.

I've never been a patient at Brigham, but I have been a patient in Mass. General and Spaulding and can attest that nurses in both places were overworked, especially the 3 to 11 shift, and very dedicated.