Nurses at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Merrimack Valley in Methuen voted yesterday to strike for one day in an effort to win their first local contract.
Massachusetts Nurse Association, representing the workers, said 97% of participating members voted yes to strike, saying Dana-Farber “refuses to treat nurses equally and settle a fair contract.” They said they are seeking the same pay and benefits as nurses working in Boston. members said in a statement Dana-Farber can afford the terms after it generated $110 million in surplus in he year ending last March 31 and Dana-Farber President Laura Glimcher took home a 15.4% raise and earns more than $2 million annually.
Turnout for the vote was 34 out of 37 nurses, or 92%. The strike date is not set. Nurse practitioner and union negotiating team member Kathleen Mitchell told WHAV, “We meet again in two weeks. If we are not making progress or feel the need to strike officially, we must give a 10-day notice before the strike occurs.”
Nurses, working from Methuen, said, if successful, this will be their first contract since the then- 28 nurses joined Massachusetts Nurses Association last year.
Rep. Ryan Hamilton, representing Methuen and Haverhill, penned a letter, dated Tuesday, to Glimcher. He said he “I implore you and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute to bargain in good faith with these employees.” He said Dana-Farber is proposing a top step 22% lower than that paid to Methuen’s Boston counterparts.
At an informational picket back in June, Sen. Pavel Payano, Rep. Francisco E. Paulino and Hamilton pledged their support to the nurses.