Members of the Massachusetts Nurses Association at Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton reached a tentative labor agreement with management, according to a Nov. 18 union news release.
The agreement covers about 400 nurses at the hospital, which is part of Somerville, Mass.-based Mass General Brigham.
The tentative agreement includes:
- An across-the-board wage increase of more than 8.5% for all grades in year one, retroactive to April 1, 2025
- A 2.5% across-the-board increase in year two
- A 3% across-the-board increase in year three
- A 2% lump sum in years two and three for members at the top step
- Annual step scale increases
- Increases to evening, night, charge, on-call and float differentials
- Added preceptor pay
- Expanded bereavement leave to include grandparents and grandchildren
- Increased certification bonus and tuition reimbursement
“We are extremely proud of what we achieved for our nurses, patients, and our entire community,” Aaron Winston, RN, MNA committee co-chair, said in the release. “This agreement protects essential RN benefits, substantially improves our wages and will help to ensure Cooley patients have safe staffing levels.”
Kevin Whitney, DNP, RN, president and COO of Cooley Dickinson Hospital, shared the following statement with Becker’s: “This tentative agreement recognizes the great work that Cooley Dickinson Hospital nurses provide each and every day for our community, and includes wage increases, maintaining current health insurance options, and other enhancements.”
The agreement is subject to ratification by union members.
