Massachusetts Nurse :: September 2005

West Springfield school RNs organize with MNA

On June 28 school nurses working in West Springfield unanimously voted to have the Massachusetts Nurses Association become the union representing their bargaining unit.

The process of organizing the West Springfield School Nurses Association took approximately 12 months and grew out the nurses’ desire to be part of a professional union that was focused on the specific needs, goals and interests of nurses. For Diane Plante, an RN and co-chairperson of the 10-member bargaining unit along with Gayle Hylen, becoming part of the MNA was a move that all of her coworkers were in favor of and looking forward to. “We’d had wonderful success and great experiences as a union before this, but we understood the importance of being connected to a professional union that specialized in nursing,” Plante said. Prior to joining the MNA, the West Springfield nurses were represented by the Teamsters. The partnership lasted for about 10 years and through several successful contract cycles .it was simply the MNA’s expertise in nursing, and experience in school nursing in particular, that led the group to where it is today.

The votes to determine affiliation with the MNA were cast via a mail ballot, and they were sent to and counted at the state’s labor relations council. During this process the bargaining unit operated under the protection of its existing contract with the Teamsters. With its vote to join the MNA behind them, members of the West Springfield School Nurses Association are looking ahead to the next part of the process: contract negotiations. “Right now we’re only interested in the proposal part of the process,” said Plante. “We’re talking to all of our members about what they think should considered during our upcoming contract talks. Once we hear back from management about possible dates and times for negotiation meetings we’ll dig in even deeper to the various proposals that have been submitted.”

According to Deb Rigiero, the MNA associate director of organizing who helped the nurses in their efforts to become an MNA bargaining unit, the West Springfield group is a good, cohesive group that is collectively motivated to work towards important goals. “They have some important pieces in place already,” explained Rigiero. “They have at least one nurse in every school and they’ve had considerable success in terms of managing the issue of inclusionary care within their schools. But the MNA is ready and looking forward to helping achieve everything else they have outlined in their proposals.”