Registered nurses and nurse practitioners
voted overwhelmingly to finalize an agreement reached in June to
help DFCI recruit and retain the nurses needed to provide
world-class cancer care
BOSTON, July 19,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The almost 800 registered nurses
and nurse practitioners at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI),
represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA), have
voted overwhelmingly to ratify a new contract agreement that
provides market-leading investments in nurses, enabling DFCI to
retain experienced nurses and recruit the nurses necessary to
delivering exceptional cancer care and conducting innovative
research.
"We are incredibly proud of the care we provide Dana-Farber
patients and the unity our nurses have shown in securing the
resources we need to continue delivering exceptional care," said
Stephen Laughlin, RN, MNA Chair at
DFCI. "The new Dana-Farber nurse contract will help us maintain
our top of the market status and allow the institute to recruit and
retain top nurses who provide cutting edge cancer treatments."
DFCI nurses voted by mail, with the vote count occurring on
July 18. Their new two-year contract
covers January 1, 2024, to
December 31, 2025. The ratification
comes as Brigham and Women's Hospital and Brigham and Women's
Faulkner Hospital nurses are on the verge of strike
authorization votes. Nurses at both hospitals are seeking strong
investments by MGB in their RN workforces to overcome unsafe
staffing and patient care conditions.
DFCI RN Contract Highlights
- Wage Increases: To keep up with a competitive nurse
market and complex patient care challenges, DFCI agreed to provide
a 9% raise to all nurses in the first year of the contract,
including retroactive pay. Nurses will receive a 3% increase in
year two with a new partial top step created that is 3% above the
current top wage scale step.
- Attracting Newer Nurses: DFCI agreed to drop the current
bottom wage scale step of the contract, raising the rate for newer
nurses and making the institute more competitive in this
recruitment area.
- On-Call Improvement: The on-call pay rate will increase
to the state's minimum wage (currently $15/hour). Historically, at DFCI and elsewhere
on-call hourly rates have been much lower than the minimum wage and
regular pay, burdening nurses who face demanding on-call
responsibilities amid an increasing need for expert nursing
care.
- Grievance Enhancement: Nurses will now be able to file
collective grievances when confronting violations of their
contract. Previously, only individual grievances were allowed. DFCI
nurses will be able to join together while seeking resolution of
violations in which they are similarly affected.
- Seniority Scheduling: DFCI nurses negotiated scheduling
by seniority into their contract to ensure a fair application of
scheduling by management across hospital units.
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Founded in 1903, the Massachusetts Nurses Association is the
largest union of registered nurses in the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts. Its 25,000 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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content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dana-farber-cancer-institute-nurses-have-voted-to-ratify-new-mna-contract-featuring-significant-investment-in-nursing-and-patient-care-302201457.html
SOURCE Massachusetts Nurses Association