WORCESTER, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — The Massachusetts Nurses Association is signaling a willingness to talk over St. Vincent Hospital's latest offer to end a months-long strike.
In a statement, the Nurses Association said Tenet Healthcare, which owns St. Vincent, "made a long-awaited proposal" on Saturday "that opens the door to a substantive discussion" on staffing levels at the hospital.
The strike has been going on for 57 days, and started March 8. Nurses at St. Vincent have made increased staffing levels a key part of their demands during the strike.
The MNA said it wouldn't discuss the specifics of the hospital's offer, but saw it as "a positive step in the process." St. Vincent said its latest offer takes language from UMass Memorial Medical Center's nurse staffing contract.
The offer would also include a retroactive pay increase of 2% for full and part-time nurses.
St. Vincent will also keep last Monday's offer on the table, which is a separate deal that would include a "staffing audit committee," that would work with a third party to keep track of staffing levels at the hospital.
The two parties are set to meet again and discuss the offers at 10:00 AM on Wednesday.
WBZ's John Baibak (@JohnBaibak) reports:
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Written by Chaiel Schaffel
(Photo: Getty Images)