More than 1,200 nurses at Tufts Medical Center are set to go on strike Wednesday morning after a last-ditch effort […]
More than 1,200 nurses at Tufts Medical Center are set to go on strike Wednesday morning after a last-ditch effort to reach a contract deal with hospital officials failed.
Both sides spent hours negotiating Tuesday but couldn’t reach a compromise. The Massachusetts Nurses Association said its members would go on strike at 7 a.m. Wednesday. It will be the first strike at a Boston hospital in more than 30 years.
Hospital officials have locked out striking nurses for four additional days and hired more than 320 temporary nurses.
The union and the hospital are at an impasse over staffing levels, pay and retirement benefits.
A union representative says hospital management was “determined to force a strike.” Hospital CEO Dr. Michael Wagner said it’s “extremely unfortunate that the union has continued to hold out for more money and an ill-conceived pension plan.”
The sides have been negotiating a new contract since April 2016.