Nurses reject contract proposal

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.berkshireeagle.com/ci_17730014

By Dick Lindsay, Berkshire Eagle Staff
Updated: 03/30/2011 11:27:58 AM EDT

Wednesday March 30, 2011

PITTSFIELD -- The nurses at Berkshire Medical Center have rejected a new, three-year contract proposal, sending both sides back to the collective bargaining table.

Representatives of the Massachusetts Nurses Association on Tuesday night didn't release a final tally of votes from all-day balloting at BMC by a majority of the 531 union members. But local MNA officials said the tentative agreement reached by union and management negotiators two weeks ago was an overwhelming failure with the rank-and-file.

"There was a high level of dissent for the proposal," said Gerri Jakacky, co-chair of the union bargaining committee. "We look forward to working on a new proposal."

BMC officials, disappointed with the outcome, are a bit perplexed that the nurses union rejected the proposal.

"We continue to feel this is a very strong contract offer and it is the same kind of offer that has been approved by MNA nurses at several other hospitals in the state," said BMC spokesman Michael Leary.

The MNA and BMC have spent the past nine months trying to settle their labor dispute, which required a federal mediator to help broker the tentative deal one week before a scheduled strike vote.

FULL story at link.

[Lisa D]

1. I wish all nurses belonged to a union.

They're in the healthcare trenches and truly care about patients over profit.