Nurses at Pittsfield, Mass.-based Berkshire Medical Center plan to rally this week "for safe patient care and a fair contract."
Two rallies are scheduled — one at 5 p.m. Wednesday outside BMC's main campus in Pittsfield, and another at 5 p.m. Thursday outside BMC's satellite campus in North Adams, Mass.
The rallies follow a 24-hour nurses strike. The strike ended Wednesday morning. However, hospital officials have said nurses won't be able to return to work for an additional four days because Berkshire Medical Center hired replacement workers for a minimum five-day contract.
The Massachusetts Nurses Association, which represents the nurses, said via news release this prompted nurses and community supporters to schedule the rallies.
"We are ready to return to caring for our patients Wednesday morning," said Gerri Jakacky, RN and co-chair of the MNA BMC Bargaining Committee. "Berkshire Medical Center nurses are irreplaceable. We walk the halls of this hospital every day, many of us for decades. We have an intimate knowledge of our patients, our technology, our staff and our community. There is no way that nurses outside of this facility, who have never worked in this hospital, can step in and provide safe patient care to our patients."
Meanwhile, the hospital is operating as usual.
"The hospital has been functioning as it would during any other time, with the same census we normally treat, the same number of surgeries and procedures and tests. In addition, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, which has numerous surveyors on-site, has reported that they have spoken with nearly 100 patients and family members and there have been no issues reported, with the patients and family saying they are very pleased with their care." BMC said in an emailed statement to Becker's.
State lawmakers representing Pittsfield are also trying to help resolve the dispute between the union and BMC, according to The Berkshire Eagle. Both sides have been negotiating for about a year.