Backus Hospital nurses go on strike
More than 400 nurses on strike over contract talks
Connecticut public health officials are monitoring health and safety standards at Backus Hospital where more than 400 nurses began a two-day strike Tuesday. The Norwich hospital and Backus Federation of Nurses, part of
AFT Connecticut, have been in contract talks since June. The previous agreement, extended from July, expired Sept. 30, and the union has said negotiations have stalled.
Nurses at Backus Hospital in Norwich began a two-day strike Tuesday after negotiations failed between the Backus Federation of Nurses, AFT Local 5149 and Hartford HealthCare. The nurses have since June sought to resolve issues impacting patient care, workplace safety, recruitment and retention in negotiations with Hartford HealthCare’s executives and facility managers.
Connecticut public health officials are monitoring health and safety standards at Backus Hospital where more than 400 nurses began a two-day strike Tuesday.
The Norwich hospital and Backus Federation of Nurses, part of AFT Connecticut, have been in contract talks since June. The previous agreement, extended from July, expired Sept. 30 and the union has said negotiations have stalled.
Among the sticking points, according to the union, are wages, health insurance and an adequate supply of N95 face masks.
Hospital executives say they made solid offers on compensation and other issues to no avail and that it always provides personal protective equipment to patients and staff.
The state Department of Public Health said Tuesday it’s monitoring the hospital to ensure quality health service and is working to make sure the hospital has “adequate replacement nurse staffing.” The agency has begun inspections and is verifying training of replacement workers, Acting Commissioner Deidre Gifford said.
“We want to reassure families of Backus Hospital patients who maybe impacted that we will be vigilant and do what is necessary to make sure your loved ones are being properly cared for the duration of this labor action,” she said.
The state agency reviewed Backus Hospital’s strike contingency plan. It said it has legal authority to take unspecified emergency action against health care facilities not in compliance with the contingency plan “or fails to adequately protect the patients.”
Gov. Ned Lamont said Tuesday that he has been in touch with both sides in the strike, urging them to come to an agreement.
Donna Handley, president of the hospital, said it is working with the Department of Public Health, which has staff on site, to “ensure continued quality and safety” during the strike.
Sherri Dayton, president of the local union, said the hospital “refused to budge on big issues like wages and health insurance.” She also accused the hospital of interfering with workers’ right to talk about the union at work, which would violate federal labor law.
“We are still far apart on major issues in these negotiations and management has violated federal law,” she said.
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, tweeted that the strike is “about respect where their employer blamed them for #COVID illness suffered by nurses rather than the failure to secure sufficient #PPE.”
She was referring to a comment in early September by Ajay Kumar, chief clinical officer at Hartford HealthCare, Backus Hospital’s parent company, that the hospital identified an “individual lapse in inappropriate use of PPE,” for a COVID exposure.
Backus Hospital President Donna Handley said that with its proposals at the bargaining table, the hospital has shown it respects its nurses and is “prepared to find common ground.”