Norwich — The union for some 400 registered nurses at Backus Hospital intends to notify Hartford HealthCare management this afternoon that its members are prepared to strike Oct. 13-14 over what they contend are unfair labor practices.
Union leadership indicated this morning it will deliver a written strike notice to Backus officials at 3:30 p.m., prior to a scheduled contract negotiating session.
The union, whose members overwhelmingly voted Sept. 13 to authorize a strike, decided to give the required 10-day notice following a negotiating session that ended after 10 p.m. Thursday. The union has been without a contract since July 31, and has been seeking changes in policies regarding pay and protections for nurses treating COVID-19 patients, among other things.
Jan Hochadel, president of AFT Connecticut, the union that includes the Backus Federation of Nurses, Local 5149, attended the Thursday night negotiating session, and posted a statement on Twitter:
“Negotiations have been ongoing since June — and progress towards a contract that is fair to our nurse heroes — a contract that protects the needs of the community — have been painfully slow and disrespectful … Our nurses deal with sickness and death as part of their dedicated service to the community. They accept that burden. They continue in this difficult mission because it is in their DNA to do so.”
In a statement issued earlier this month, Donna Handley, the Backus president, indicated the hospital would be ready in the event of a nurses’ strike.
“We will take appropriate steps to ensure that access to care will continue without disruption for our patients and the community in the unfortunate event of a strike," she said. "… Backus Hospital, and all services, will remain open and accessible to the community.”
A contract settlement or, presumably, substantial progress in the talks would prevent the strike from taking place.
On Thursday, the state Department of Public Health issued a COVID-19 alert for Norwich following a surge in cases of the coronavirus disease in the city.
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October 02, 2020 at 10:56PM
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Backus nurses to give notice they're prepared to strike Oct. 13-14 - theday.com
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