Backus nurses end two-day strike; contract negotiations expected to continue today.

Union and Hartford HealthCare set to meet today to continue contract negotiations

Norwich — A strike that began at 7 a.m. Tuesday came to a close Thursday morning for Backus Hospital nurses.

The strike was a pronounced statement of dissatisfaction regarding ongoing union contract negotiations with Hartford HealthCare. Contract negotiations will continue during a meeting today, according to Backus President Donna Handley.

“Backus Hospital is willing and eager to meet with the nurses’ union and resume negotiations after the conclusion of their two-day strike,” she wrote in an email.

Nurses have been trying to resolve issues impacting patients and staff since June, citing what they say are unfair labor practices. Safe staffing is one of the main requests the union has of the new contract with the Hartford HealthCare network, of which Backus is a member. Nurses are asking for lower patient- to- nurse ratios and better employee recruitment and retention.

Sherri Dayton, a Backus nurse since 2006 and president of Local 5149, said the strike affected hospital operations.

“At 7 o’clock, the strike was over, we walked to the hospital together as a unit, and they let the nurses back onto their units,” Dayton said. “It’s not business as usual in there, that’s for sure. They canceled elective surgeries for the two days of the strike, and they closed down two floors: progressive care and oncology.”

Handley said patient care was never jeopardized during the strike.

“During the nurses’ twoday strike, fully trained and licensed nurses from around the state provided safe care for our patients, and the hospital worked as planned with the Department of Public Health to ensure the highest quality and safety,” she wrote. “It’s our commitment to serve our patients in the hospital, and negotiate a contract at the bargaining table.”

Dayton didn’t rule out the possibility of a future strike.

“We’re moving closer to each other on the contract, but the movement is discouraging still, because we shouldn’t have had to fight as hard as we had to fight,” she said. For example, she said the union sought guarantees that the level of personal protective equipment and adequate time and space for nurses to breastfeed would meet the legal standards in both cases.

“Why did we have to fight so hard for them to just say they’d follow the law?” Dayton asked.