Boston-based Tufts Medical Center will return to negotiations with the Massachusetts Nurses Association Tuesday in hopes of a last-minute deal to avoid a strike planned for July 12, according to a Boston Business Journal report.
The hospital and the MNA, which represents approximately 1,200 Tufts nurses, last returned to negotiations Friday. However, those negotiations were unsuccessful. In total, both sides have met more than 30 times since April 2016 to try to hammer out a deal. One key sticking point is proposed retirement plan changes.
Tufts and the union blamed each other for Friday's stalled negotiations.
"Negotiations ended ... because the union continues to demand more money that the hospital does not have. They proclaim to be patient safety advocates, yet they have called on our nurses to walk out on patients. While we hope the union decides to take our offer seriously and truly act in the best interest of both our nurses and our patients, we are ready to provide top quality care next week and always," the hospital said in an emailed statement to Becker's Hospital Review.
But in the Boston Business Journal, Barbara Tiller, a Tufts nurse involved with the MNA's bargaining committee, claims Tufts was not "looking to negotiate in good faith," but rather was "hoping [MNA] accept[ed] what [Tufts] offered on May 31." Nurses rejected the hospital's "final" offer June 8. On July 1, the union notified Tufts that nurses plan to strike July 12.
Tufts has said it budgeted $30 million for a new labor deal with nurses. Taking into account some strike preparation costs, that offer is now $25 million, according to the report.
Tufts said Monday its preparing for the strike by opening its Central Operations Hub to monitor hospital operations, providing information through its website, and hiring more than 320 replacement nurses. Tufts also reiterated it is not locking out nurses. "Nurses may come to work on Wednesday morning. Because we needed to hire specialized nurses for a minimum of five days, any nurse not coming to work on Wednesday will not be allowed to work again until after those five days," the medical center said. Hospital operations will continue as usual during the strike should it occur.