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Brockton Clergy Association Issues Call For Parties in Brockton
Strike To Negotiate a Fair Settlement While Not Taking Sides in the
Dispute, The Letter Encourages A Resolution that Mirrors What the
Nurses Are Looking For - To Increase Staffing
BCA
Brockton Clergy Association
June 28, 2001
To the Administration and Nurses of Brockton Hospital:
Concerned about the quality of patient care at Brockton Hospital,
representatives of the Brockton Clergy Association met with representatives
of the administration of the Brockton Hospital on Thursday, June 14th at
11:00 a.m. to discuss the current nurses' strike. The same group of
interfaith clergy representatives met on Friday, June 15th at 11:00 a.m.
with representatives of the nurses' union to discuss the same topic.
Approximately two hours was spent with each group.
We acknowledge and appreciate the hospital's fiscal success in a time when
health care is increasingly competitive and challenging. By the same token,
we acknowledge and appreciate the nurses' deep commitment to their
profession. It is evident to us that both the administration and the nurses
are seeking to provide the best of care for the people of Greater Brockton.
We are grateful to those who took the time to share their concerns with us.
Having listened closely to both parties, it seems to us that the staffing
pattern at Brockton Hospital is the main source of conflict. It seems that
the bulk of nurses are employed in part-time positions, which is often of
benefit to both the nurses and the hospital. However, this has presented a
critical staffing problem when there are too few part-time nurses to safely
and adequately cover all patients during all shifts. Currently, hospitals
are trying to rectify this situation by requesting that nurses volunteer to
work extra shifts in order to provide sufficient coverage. When this system
fails, the hospital must resort to mandating overtime.
This is compounded by the fact that the nurse to patient ratios, determined
in the 1980s, no longer reflect the increased patient acuity found in
today's hospitals. The increased demands of caring for patients renders the
nurses more susceptible to fatigue, thus jeopardizing the quality of care
and even endangering the lives of their patients.
Taking all of this into account, we, the Brockton Clergy Association,
strongly encourage the administration of Brockton Hospital and the striking
nurses to return to the negotiating table. A just resolution to this
situation must be devised quickly. As we see it, it is only by addressing
the underlying staffing patterns at Brockton Hospital that such a resolution
will be reached.
You remain in our prayers.
Sincerely,
Rev. William McCoy — Christ Congregational Church,Brockton
Rev. Heather Kinnear — Christ Congregational Church,Brockton
Rev. Dale Downs — Foursquare Church, Brockton
Rev. Michael Wayne Walker — Messiah Baptist Church, Brockton
Rev. Beatrice Michals-Brown — Prince of Peace Lutheran Church,Brockton
Fr. Francis J. Cloherty — St. Patrick Roman Catholic Church,Brockton
Fr. Joseph A. Gaudet — St. Patrick Roman Catholic Church,Brockton
Fr. Paul Moritz — St. Patrick Roman Catholic Church,Brockton
Ms. Jeanne Lafond — St. Patrick Roman Catholic Church,Brockton
Rabbi H. Bruce Ehrmann — Temple Israel (Emeritus), Brockton
Rev. Francis Swartz — Central United Methodist, Brockton
Rev. Rosemary L. Peters — First Baptist Church, Brockton
Rabbi H. David Werb — Temple Beth Emunah, Brockton
Ms. Debra Moore — Christ Congregational Church, Brockton
Fr. Richard Conway — St. Margaret's Roman Catholic Church, Brockton
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