Hospital officials and the Massachusetts Nurses Association resumed negotiations Aug. 31 to try to reach a labor deal for nurses at Boston-based Tufts Medical Center.
This marked the first negotiation session since approximately 1,200 Tufts nurses went on strike in July.
The MNA said in a statement to Becker's Hospital Review the session lasted approximately eight hours, with nurses primarily working on a proposal that aimed to combine previous offers from nurses and hospital management. Staffing, wages and retirement benefits are among the issues that continue to be part of negotiations.
"The nurses met with management three times throughout the course of the day: once in the morning to begin the day, a second time to present their on-the-record package proposal to management, and a third time to get management's response to that package proposal. A open and civil dialogue followed although, by the end of the day, no tentative agreements were reached," said union officials.
Tufts also released a statement on the most recent negotiation session, reiterating the medical center desires a contract that is fair to both sides, is "committed to productive bargaining sessions," and does not want another strike. Tufts added it also "believe[s] that nurses should be compensated fairly, have a responsible retirement plan, and have adequate resources."
"We had extensive, respectful and open discussions at the bargaining table ... with the Massachusetts Nurses Association. We shared with them our core principles for bargaining in good faith and listened carefully. We look forward to returning to negotiations on Sept. 11 to continue our discussions," said Tufts.
A federal mediator had scheduled negotiations for Aug. 31, Sept. 11 and Sept. 13.
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