Leominster Hospital RNs to be Joined by US Sen. Edward Markey at their March 3 Standout in Fitchburg

FITCHBURG, Mass., March 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --

U.S. Sen. Edward Markey will join the Leominster Hospital RNs at their March 3 standout in Fitchburg, which will take place at 4 p.m. at the intersection of South Street and Electric Avenue. The nurses have been holding daily standouts throughout the Twin Cities for the last four weeks in order to draw public attention to their ongoing efforts to keep safe nurse-staffing levels in place at "the hospital on the hill."

"We are honored to have Sen. Markey join in our standout," said Natalie M. Pereira, a Leominster Hospital RN and chairperson of its MNA bargaining unit. "He's been committed to serving the people of the commonwealth for his entire career. Having him support us in our fight to protect our patients is just another example of that commitment."

In late 2019, and as part of the nurses' current contract talks, hospital management made several ill-conceived proposals that stand to harm patient safety. These proposals would dangerously increase the number of patients each RN must care for at one time, while also eliminating important patient-care resources that both patients and nurses have come to depend on. (Full details on management's dangerous proposals to cut nurse staffing levels and resources are available here.)

All of management's proposals slash away at important staffing improvements that the nurses fought for ? and that management agreed to contractually ? just five years ago. In response, the Leominster RNs have been holding numerous public standouts at various locations and times across the Twin Cities over the last four weeks, and the public reaction in support of their efforts has been overwhelming. More recently, they launched a public petition campaign that has garnered just as much attention (accessible both https://secure.everyaction.com/x9TcfS7-YkWCgGP40_iHQA2 and www.massnurses.org/LeominsterRNs).

"We thank Sen. Markey for his willingness to help us in our fight to keep our patients safe," added Pereira. "His support is invaluable, and it matters to the communities we serve."

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Founded in 1903, the Massachusetts Nurses Association is the largest union of registered nurses in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Its 23,000 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.

SOURCE Massachusetts Nurses Association