Greenfield, Mass.-based Baystate Franklin Medical Center nurses authorized their union, the Massachusetts Nurses Association, to call a three-day strike in a Tuesday vote, according to a report by The Republican.
More than 70 percent of union members voted in favor of authorizing a strike, according to the report.
The union and the hospital have been negotiating a contract for two years, and the union has gone on strike before — a 24-hour strike in October 2012. The main contention stems from overtime pay: Currently, nurses are paid a daily bonus for overtime; the hospital would like to change overtime pay to a weekly model based on a 40-hour work week.
Chuck Gijanto, president of Baystate Franklin, said the outcome of the vote was unfortunate and that the union is threatening the hospital with another strike, according to The Republican.
The Massachusetts Nurses Association must give Baystate Franklin a 10-day notice before going on strike.
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