In a letter to hospital management, the MNA said nurses will continue to strike if Tufts prevents them from returning to work at 7 a.m. July 13. At the same time, Tufts said nurses who participate in the strike will not return to work for at least five days, according to the WCVB report.
News of the strike comes after MNA nurses rejected the hospital’s “final” contract offer June 8. The two parties have been in contracted negotiations since April 2016.
If the July 12 strike takes place, it would be the first nurses’ strike in Boston in more than 30 years, according to The Boston Globe.
“It is extremely disappointing that the MNA has chosen to take this action, especially given that so many of our nurses have told us they do not want to strike,” said hospital President and CEO Michael Wagner, MD. “Tufts MC has been preparing for this scenario, and our physicians and patient care teams, alongside qualified registered nurses … are ready to provide top quality care.”
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