Nurses filed unfair labor practice charge as Baystate illegally ties nurse-patient safety limits to use of non-union float nurses

GREENFIELD, Mass., April 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Registered nurses at Baystate Franklin Medical Center (BFMC), represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA), will hold a limited duration strike authorization vote on Tuesday, April 14, as Baystate Health refuses to agree to a fair union contract that protects patient safety while keeping care local.

Nurses also responded to Baystate's illegal and unsafe staffing proposal by filing an unfair labor practice charge (ULP) with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The nurses' ULP charge says Baystate is attempting to tie the use of a non-union float pool to BFMC nurses maintaining their existing, contractually enforceable nurse-patient limits. Baystate's proposal is not only illegal, but it would also undermine safe patient care by bringing in nurses who are unfamiliar with the kind of versatile, rural nursing care BFMC nurses provide.

"We are focused on protecting our patients and our community," said Suzanne Love, BFMC RN and Co-Chair of the MNA Bargaining Committee. "Baystate is proposing to weaken safe staffing protections by linking them to the use of non-union float nurses who are not familiar with our hospital or our patients. Their proposal is unsafe, and it is illegal."

The strike authorization vote follows an informational picket on April 7. Voting will take place throughout the day on April 14, with results expected after voting closes at 8 p.m. A vote to authorize a limited duration strike does not mean a strike will automatically occur. Instead, a successful vote gives the nurses' elected MNA Bargaining Committee the authority to schedule and hold a limited duration strike if necessary, depending on how negotiations proceed. Before any strike could take place, nurses would provide the hospital with the legally required 10-day advance notice.

"This vote is about unity among nurses and our community," said Marissa Potter, BFMC RN and Co-Chair of the MNA Bargaining Committee. "We are sending a clear message to Baystate that we need a fair union contract that allows us to safely care for our patients and sustain this hospital as a vital community resource. We remain committed to reaching an agreement without a strike if Baystate will meet the needs of our community hospital."

Unsafe and Illegal Proposal Prompts ULP Filing

The ULP charge focuses on Baystate's proposal to use a non-union float pool – bringing in Baystate system nurses from outside BFMC – and tying that proposal to existing contractual nurse-patient limits. The Baystate proposal constitutes bargaining in bad faith in violation of the National Labor Relations Act. Nurses say the proposal would:

• Undermine enforceable staffing protections that are critical to patient safety.
• Introduce nurses unfamiliar with the unique demands of a rural community hospital.
• Place additional strain on permanent staff and increase risk for patients.

Core Issues in Negotiations

BFMC nurses are calling for a contract that ensures:

• Safe, high-quality patient care.
• The preservation of hard-fought nurse-patient staffing limits.
• Competitive wages to recruit and retain experienced nurses.
• Protections for nurses who are sick or injured.
• Local, community-based care in Franklin County.

Why Local Union Nurses Matter

At rural community hospitals like Baystate Franklin Medical Center, safe patient care depends on a permanent nursing workforce that knows the community and can manage a wide range of needs without extensive specialty support. While larger urban hospitals have IV teams, wound care nurses, NICUs, and round the clock pharmacies, in rural hospitals well-trained nurses pivot between all these roles and others, several times each shift. 

The award-winning Baystate Franklin nurses have experience stepping into these types of roles every day. That versatility is critical in more rural settings. Baystate's insistence on using a non-union float pool to bring in nurses from Baystate Medical Center in Springfield undermines this care model. These float nurses are not accustomed to the realities of rural hospital care. This can create gaps in care, increased safety risks, and strain on local staff. BFMC nurses are calling on Baystate to invest in their permanent union workforce to preserve access to safe, community-based patient care.

Community Support Growing

Nurses are urging community members to support their efforts by signing a public petition calling on Baystate Health to agree to a fair contract that protects patients and preserves local access to care: www.massnurses.org/FranklinCommunity.

The petition had more than 460 signatures as of April 8.

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Founded in 1903, the Massachusetts Nurses Association is the largest union of registered nurses in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Its 26,000 members advance the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting the economic and general welfare of nurses in the workplace, projecting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and by lobbying the Legislature and regulatory agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and the public.

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SOURCE Massachusetts Nurses Association