Framingham Union Hospital Nurses Move To Unionize

FRAMINGHAM, MA — Nurses at Framingham Union Hospital are set to file a union election petition with the National Labor Relations Board on Tuesday, the Massachusetts Nurses Association shared this week.

A group of FUH nurses were set to attempt to meet with MetroWest Medical Center CEO John Whitlock, Jr. on Tuesday morning, when they intended to deliver a letter requesting Whitlock voluntarily recognize the nurses’ union, as allowed by the National Labor Relations Act.

A vast majority of FUH nurses have signed union cards, and the nurses gave Whitlock until 1 p.m. on Tuesday to voluntarily recognize their union, officials said. However, there is an expectation that swift action in the affirmative won't be taken by corporate leaders.

“An overwhelming majority of Registered Nurses at Framingham Union Hospital have decided that we would like to have a real and independent voice on all decisions that affect us, the work we do and the patients we take care of,” the nurses wrote in their letter to the CEO. “We would like to be real partners with you in setting priorities for our workplace and ensuring a healthy future for Framingham.”

There are approximately 280 registered nurses at FUH who the MNA would represent following an election overseen by the NLRB. The main themes nurses have identified for why they are joining the MNA include:

• To improve nurses’ ability to provide quality safe patient care.
• To promote a safe and healthy working environment.
• To revive and preserve a sense of pride, morale, and respect in their community hospital.
• To feel valued, treated with respect as a profession and satisfaction in their work.

Framingham Union is owned by Tenet Health, which also owns Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester as part of MetroWest Medical Center.

Nurses in Worcester ended a strike in early 2022 after 301 days after similar efforts. It took more than two years of negotiating before a new contract was approved.

One thing that could be working in the favor of the nurses in Framingham is public and diplomatic support.

According to an earlier Patch report, every member of Congress from Massachusetts supported the nurses during the contract negotiations in Worcester.

"Tonight’s vote is an historic victory for the heroic nurses at St. Vincent who refused to budge until they secured the protections and staffing conditions their patients deserve," U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan, D-Fitchburg, said in a news release at the time.

In Worcester, the nurses' main goal during the strike was to increase staffing levels across all parts of the hospital. The hospital agreed to reduce the number of patients assigned to each nurse in many areas.

It isn't yet clear what the specifics are in regard to what Framingham nurses are looking for in negotiations, but what happens next will likely be determined by a decision at the top of the company today.