St. Vincent Hospital nurses overwhelmingly approve contract, officially ending strike

WORCESTER — St. Vincent Hospital nurses overwhelmingly ratified a new contract Monday, officially ending the 300-plus-day nurses strike.

"We have achieved our goal," Marlena Pellegrino, a nurse on the bargaining committee, announced to a crowd of nurses, politicians and media Monday night after the votes had been cast and counted.

Nurses voted 487-9 in favor of ratification; 502 ballots were cast, with three ballots left blank and three contested ballots.

Nurses at St. Vincent Hospital had been on strike since March 8 over staffing and then, once that issue was resolved, a return-to-work agreement that allowed striking nurses to return to their previous jobs.

The nurses, represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association, and Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare, owner and operator of St. Vincent, came to a tentative agreement last month after more than nine months of a strike, the longest such strike in state history.

Aided by former Boston mayor, now U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Martin Walsh, the sides tentatively agreed to a contract that set new staffing guidelines on many of the hospital's wards and allowed nurses to return to their previous jobs.

Nurses cheered outside the Teamsters Local 170 headquarters Monday night as their colleague Dominique Muldoon, also a member of the bargaining committee, read off some of the terms of the new contract. These include: staffing additions in many areas to achieve a 4-to-1 patient-to-nurse ratio; resource nurses on nearly every unit; a metal detector in the emergency department and police details to improve nurse safety; better health care benefits for part-time workers; and more.

Supporters of the nurses spoke of the contract as a victory not just for the nurses, but also as a victory for patient care and organized labor.

Rep. McGovern: 'Patient safety'

"We in the community owe you a debt of gratitude," US Rep. James P. McGovern, D-Worcester, said after being introduced by Muldoon as a "hero, friend, and honorary St. Vincent nurse."

"This was never about you. it was about patient safety," McGovern continued. "This is a victory for you. This is a victory for the community."

State Rep. Mary Keefe agreed.

"I'm so proud of Worcester, so proud of the MNA, and so proud of all of you," Keefe said to cheers.

St. Vincent Hospital pleased

A spokesman for St. Vincent Hospital said that management was pleased that nurses voted to ratify the contract.

"We are ready to welcome back every nurse who chooses to return to Saint Vincent, and we have plans in place to make that process as smooth as possible," spokesman Matt Clyburn said in a news release. "We are also eager to restore access to temporarily closed services so that we can better serve the needs of our community."

Clyburn said the hospital will soon begin recalling striking nurses to their previous positions and scheduling them for reorientation.

"At this time, we expect all returning nurses to be back at Saint Vincent Hospital by January 22," Clyburn said.

"We are now focused on working together for the good of the people we serve," Clyburn continued. "We will renew our focus on the values we share and the commitments we make to one another as colleagues. And we will work diligently to heal the wounds of the past year as we integrate striking nurses, nurses who have been taking great care of our patients during the strike, and the rest of our excellent staff."

Meanwhile, as the camera crews and supporters pulled away into the frigid January night outside the Teamsters' headquarters, a champagne cork popped as a group of nurses gathered to celebrate.

Throughout Monday, with voting taking place from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., nurses of the MNA expressed optimism and relief, confident that the new year would bring them back to the bedside.

More: St. Vincent Hospital, nurses reach tentative agreement to end strike

“It felt amazing after such a long standout and thinking this day would never come,” nurse Deb McCrohen said after casting her ballot. “I’m looking forward to getting back in there and getting back to my patients.”

Nurses with the MNA steadily streamed into the Teamsters’ headquarters to vote.

Determined to cast a ballot

“Three-hundred three days — who would have thought?” nurse Bill Lahey, also a member of the bargaining committee at the hospital, said as he delivered a blank ballot to a nurse waiting in her car.

The nurse was among dozens who are quarantining after COVID exposure, Lahey said, but were determined to cast a ballot.

“I knew it was going to be long, but not this long,” Lahey continued.

Indeed, all of the nurses interviewed Monday afternoon expressed a sense of relief that the strike looked to finally be over.

“It feels like we’re going home,” Nurse Debbie Flagg said after casting her ballot. “It’s been a long year.”

Nurse Michelle Adams agreed.

“I think it’s very exciting,” Adams said. “It’s time to give back to the community that supported us so much.”

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: From picket line to ballot box, nurses at St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester weigh in on contract