Doctors appeal to striking nurses to return to work

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) — Doctors at a Massachusetts hospital where hundreds of nurses have been on strike since early March are asking them to return to work to help deal with a surge of COVID-19 patients that has led to longer wait times at all the region’s medical facilities.

Physicians affiliated with St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester sent a letter to the nurses’ union Wednesday, the day before the strike reached its 200th day, The Telegram & Gazette reported.

“With the recent elevation of the COVID-19 status in our area to Level 3, long wait times at all area hospitals, and the need to have all beds staffed and open, we all need to be there for our patients, now more than ever,” wrote Dr. Bogdan Nedelescu, president of St. Vincent Hospital Medical Staff, which represents all of the more than 600 physicians affiliated with the hospital.

St. Vincent, owned by Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare, reduced its bed capacity in August in response to the strike, which started March 8 over staffing levels. The sticking point now is over whether striking nurses can get their jobs back. The hospital said it does not want to displace the permanent replacements it has hired.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/business-health-coronavirus-pandemic-massachusetts-worcester-a29b9049d54933990d9947c8b19fe84c

[GregariousGroundhog]

1. I'm not sure how rational the nurses union is here

The hospital has data that their nurse staffing ratio exceeds that of at least 75% of all the other hospitals, so I'm really curious as to what the nurses do not like about the contracts staffing provisions.

The hospital is offering pay raises of between 8-35% between now and 2024. My gut says that union leadership should put it before their members for a vote.

[FBaggins]

4. The doctors' ask isn't entirely rational either

Why would you "return" to a job that might not actually exist?

[GregariousGroundhog]

6. Your question confused me so I had to go back and reread the article.

Your point is valid, I missed the part where they mentioned the hospital did not want to displace their replacement nurses. It would be reasonable for the union to demand that all of its nurses be brought back. I'm wondering if that is the staffing issue the nurses are worried about, or if it is something different.

[MissMillie]

2. I'd love to know what Tenet Healthcare's profit margin is

and what percentage tax they pay on that margin.

[musclecar6]

3. Having

Been a union leader back in the day, it’s important to get all the facts in hand before one can decide whether the union is making the prudent move at this point. Typically the press gets it half right and the management is always trying to leave things out that are important in the contract negotiations. Typically employees don’t strike and stay out on strike for a long period like these nurses are unless there are substantive reasons for doing so.

[AZLD4Candidate]

5. So, instead of addressing the nurse's issues, Tenet Healthcare hired scabs

Amazing how no one in the media says this. They just repeat the corporate line.

Permanent replacements = SCABS!

[MichMan]

8. What are they supposed to do with the patients while the nurses are on strike? Let them die ?

[33taw]

7. Why are the Doctors asking the nurses to return if they have replacements?

It sounds like the Doctors are not happy with the replacements and management is trying to shortchange the striking nurses.

I think I would seek out other opportunities if I were a nurse clearly management does not care about the outcome.