NYSNA Celebrates Historic Nurses’ Victory in Massachusetts

In January 2022, nurses at St. Vincent Hospital emerged victorious after waging the longest nurses’ strike in Massachusetts history. This was a David-and-Goliath fight between the Massachusetts Nurses Association, which was fighting for patient safety and respect for nurses, and Tenet Healthcare, the for-profit giant that owns St. Vincent. Tenet pulled out all the dirty tricks over the nine-month battle, buying full-page ads in the papers against the union and threatening to permanently replace 800 nurses. But MNA nurses prevailed by staying united, “one day longer and one day stronger.”

NYSNA was there in solidarity every step of the way, joining rallies and phone-zaps in support of our union siblings in Massachusetts. We acted because we know that a win for nurses somewhere is a win for nurses everywhere. When MNA nurses won, they forced Tenet to implement specific staffing improvements and return all striking nurses to their jobs with no retaliation. That sends a signal to healthcare corporations across the country not to pick a fight with nurses. We’ll go to bat for patient safety every time—because when we fight, we win!