Unionized nurses at Pittsfield, Mass.-based Berkshire Medical Center allege the hospital interfered with contract negotiations when it sent an internal letter to workers earlier this month, reports The Berkshire Eagle.
Allegations came via a complaint the Massachusetts Nurses Association filed with the National Labor Relations Board on behalf of nurses. In the complaint, the union points to multiple items in the hospital's July 13 letter to nurses. For instance, the MNA claims the hospital threatened to stop health insurance benefits in the event nurses go on strike for 24 hours, according to the report. The union also alleges in the complaint that the hospital's letter to nurses "implied the union leadership would miscount votes to ensure a strike is authorized," and "threatened an illegal lockout of or refused to reinstate nurses for an extra four days after the one-day strike," the report states.
But Arthur Milano, vice president of human resources at BMC's parent company, Berkshire Health Systems, who wrote the July 13 letter, told The Berkshire Eagle the hospital did nothing wrong in sending the letter to nurses. The hospital also told Becker's Hospital Review the four-day lockout following a one-day strike is necessary for BMC to contract for temporary replacement nurses, which requires at least a five-day commitment.
Additionally, the hospital provided a statement to Becker's Hospital Review, saying it "is following the letter of the law and the current contract."
At the end of May, unionized nurses overwhelmingly voted down the "best and final" contract offer from the hospital. The union has not yet called a strike.
Both sides have been in negotiations since last September. Remaining key sticking points include wages and staffing and health insurance. The hospital told The Berkshire Eagle another negotiating session is slated for Aug. 1.
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