Berkshire VNA reaches Tentative Agreement With BHS| 08:00AM / Wednesday, December 20, 2023 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The nurses and healthcare professionals of the Berkshire Visiting Nurse Association (BVNA), represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA), reached a tentative agreement on Dec. 15 with Berkshire Health Systems, agreeing on contract terms that give BVNA clinicians a wage step scale and tackle some productivity issues to help with recruitment and retention and address patient care access problems.
The agreement is tentative until BVNA clinicians represented by the MNA can review the terms this week. A vote to ratify the contract is scheduled for Dec. 22.
"We have fought long and hard for this contract because we care deeply about our patients and their ability to receive high-quality homecare throughout Berkshire County," said Tamaryn Clowdus, physical therapist, and Co-Chair of the MNA Bargaining Committee at Berkshire VNA. "Our collective strength as union nurses and healthcare professionals, along with the community and our labor supporters, was essential in helping us reach an agreement. We are pleased to have secured a wage step scale, productivity improvements, and many other contract provisions that will benefit clinicians and patients for years to come."
Berkshire VNA clinicians had been negotiating their first contract after initially forming a union two years ago. The tentative agreement followed a Dec. 4 informational picket. The informational picket was the latest in a series of actions by BVNA nurses and healthcare professionals. In October, the clinicians delivered a petition to BHS CEO Darlene M. Rodowicz emphasizing that the BVNA has experienced a significant loss of permanent staff since at least December 2021, destabilizing home-care service access and posing a serious risk to continuity of patient care, according to a press release.
In May, BVNA nurses and health-care professionals held a virtual community forum on the changing state of home care. In April, they delivered a petition signed by community members urging BHS to move quickly to settle a contract. BVNA registered nurses, MSWs, and physical, occupational and speech therapists joined MNA in December 2021 following an election overseen by the National Labor Relations Board.
"We are pleased to share that on Dec. 15 Berkshire Health Systems signed a memorandum of agreement with the Massachusetts Nurses Association on behalf of Berkshire Visiting Nurses Association to affirm a market-competitive contract aligned with both the homecare industry and the health system," said BHS Director of Media Relations Michael Leary. "Our BVNA clinicians are valued members of the Berkshire Health Systems team, and their skill and compassion are integral to our goal of providing quality, comprehensive care to our community. We look forward to continuing to work with our BVNA clinicians and with our healthcare colleagues across the system to advance our mission of health and wellness for everyone in our community in a welcoming, inclusive, and personalized environment."
According to a press release:
The medical needs of Berkshire VNA patients are varied and complex, including post-surgical conditions such as total hip or total knee replacements; stroke; Parkinson's Disease; Multiple Sclerosis; Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS); cardiopulmonary conditions; amputations; and post-trauma care (breaks, fractures). In recent years, many hospital-based services for patients have shifted to in-home services, making VNAs and their caregivers an essential and ever-expanding part of the healthcare system. Hospitals now move patients back home faster, leading to a dramatic increase in the size and complexity of the region's at-home patient population.
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