Potential Strike Looms for Brattleboro Hospital Support and Technical Staff

The hospital has acknowledged the union's strike authorization vote and emphasized its respect for employee rights in this matter.

Workers at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital, including support staff and technical personnel, may resort to striking if negotiations fail. Approximately 280 employees, represented by Brattleboro Healthcare United, have voted to authorize such actions due to persistent concerns regarding patient care within the community.

The hospital has acknowledged the union's strike authorization vote and emphasized its respect for employee rights in this matter. The management has expressed its intention to negotiate a fair agreement that sustains both staff support and the overall stability of the hospital, ensuring patients maintain access to high-quality care.

Concerns have been raised by the workers about ongoing management proposals, which they argue could undermine staff retention and recruitment, potentially leading to increased wait times and deteriorating patient outcomes. They have highlighted that after more than a year of discussions, there is still no wage scale provided by management. One representative expressed the urgency of securing a contract focused on safeguarding patient care, emphasizing the detrimental effects of current proposals on frontline workers.

Recent negotiations reportedly did not yield progress, prompting conversations among the team about the possibility of issuing a 10-day strike notice. This development coincides with an earlier announcement that hospital management reached a tentative contract agreement with nurses, who similarly voted to authorize a strike if needed.

Brattleboro Memorial Hospital has stated that it is committed to ongoing negotiations and has characterized the process as complex, while remaining hopeful for an outcome that endeavors to meet both workforce needs and the financial constraints faced by rural health care providers.

As of now, no strike date has been finalized, but the situation continues to evolve as talks progress.