GREENFIELD, Mass. (AP) — Baystate Franklin Medical Center in Greenfield has declared an impasse in its 28 months of negotiations with nurses and announced it will immediately put into effect changes it has sought through contract talks.
The move outraged the nurses’ union, which said it will file a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board. Nurses will meet this week to discuss their options, including the possibility of a strike.
The changes include a 3.25 percent wage and bonuses up to $1,000. The hospital will also start transitioning to paying overtime on a weekly basis rather than a daily basis, a major sticking point in negotiations.
Hospital President Chuck Gijanto tells The Recorder negotiations are “hopelessly deadlocked.”
Nurses say management is unjustly taking away their right to negotiate a settlement.
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