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FREQUENTLY ASKED
QUESTIONS
Below you will find a series of frequently asked questions
we have received from members about the strike. If you have
a question that hasn’t been addressed here, contact a member
of the BWH negotiating committee, or you can email the MNA communications
department at dschildmeier@mnarn.org
and we will get you an answer.
Is it legal for us to strike?
Yes. Going on strike is a legally protected activity. You cannot
be disciplined or terminated for engaging in a legal strike.
Additionally, no action can be taken against your RN license
for participation in a strike.
How and when would we actually strike (with signs and all)?
According to the official notice given to the hospital, the
strike would officially begin at 6 a.m. on the morning of Nov.
29. At that time, all nurses currently on duty would give report
to their supervisors and walk out of the hospital together.
Remember, your union has given the hospital more than the 10
days’ notice required by law. It is the hospital’s responsibility
to have someone available to assume responsibility for your
patients. At previous strikes, the Department of Public Health
(DPH) may also place members of its staff in the hospital to
ensure that the patients receive a minimum level of care. Nurses
cannot be charged with patient abandonment for leaving at the
time the strike begins. All other members of the bargaining
unit would be assembled outside the hospital with picket signs
to greet them and officially begin the strike.
Who participates in the strike?
All employees in the bargaining unit – all those covered by
the contract (regular, full time, part time, per diems and probationary
employees) are expected to participate in the strike. Other
unions may support the strike but are bound by the terms of
their contracts to continue to do work for the hospital. However,
many unions will attempt to honor the picket lines.
Can I lose my job or have my job changed after the strike?
No. The strike will not end unless and until we have a written
“back to work” agreement that guarantees each and every member
of the bargaining unit the right to return to the same job (shift,
hours, unit), which they had prior to the strike. This has
been the result in all ten strikes waged by the MNA.
What is the time commitment for us—picketing weekly?
The picketing committee will be meeting to determine specific
picketing commitments. In previous strikes, each nurse was
typically expected to picket 12 hours per week, with picketing
scheduled in 4-hour shifts. Picketing commitments can be fulfilled
by family members, friends and other surrogates, and exceptions
would be made for personal circumstances.
For those who can’t picket because of a physical disability
or other reason, there are a number of other jobs you can fill
to support the strike.
To learn more about specific picketing commitments and to be placed
on the picket schedule, please contact George Rotundo at 781.248.6972;
grcrmot@comcast.net.
What is appropriate picket line conduct?
Since you are conducting a strike-line picket, you will need
to keep moving while on the line and you must have a picket
sign (signs will be available at the strike office). Picket
where the Picket Captain designates. This will include all
entrances and driveways. Stay orderly and do not block emergency
vehicles or U.S. Postal trucks. Do not block or interfere with
patients’ families, friends and visitors. Always check with
the Picket Captain if there are problems.
During the strike, where do we go for information and who
will be available to answer our questions?
We have secured three strike offices near the hospital.
- VFW, (2nd floor) 1617 Tremont Street, Boston (on the corner of Tremont and Wigglesworth Streets-
one block from the hospital). This will be the central strike
office and it will be staffed around the clock with our committee
people and MNA staff to answer any and all questions about the
strike. Yes, this office has bathrooms.
- Mission Church,
1545 Tremont Street, Boston. This
will be our Media Center where we will be meeting
press and local and state legislators. This also has bathroom
facilities available.
- Longwood Inn, Longwood Avenue, Boston. We have rented an apartment that has all amenities
to help with food, bathroom and other member needs. Directions
will be shared on the picket line for member access.
Should we set up a telephone tree on each unit so we can
keep in touch and offer support to each other and pass around
information?
Absolutely. We encourage members of each unit to stay connected
and to communicate with each other throughout the strike. We
advise you to share your phone numbers and email addresses and
to make sure that you share you email address with the MNA strike
headquarters so everyone can stay informed about developments
during the strike. We also encourage units, when possible, to
arrange to picket together, which is another way to stay connected
and to offer mutual support.
The local bargaining unit leadership will also keep you informed
through email blasts, publishing information on the Brigham
and Women’s hospital page on the MNA Web site, and through weekly
open meetings for the entire membership base. These meetings
are an important source for obtaining the latest information,
to ask questions, and for all of us to come together to support
each other throughout the strike.
Health insurance – How long are we covered when a strike
notice is given to the hospital? Does our insurance stop immediately?
How do we sign up for COBRA?
You maintain your health insurance as is until the strike begins
and you stop working. At some point, Brigham administration
will send you a letter notifying you that your coverage will
cease as of a specific date. The letter will inform you that
you are eligible to continue your coverage under the COBRA law.
COBRA stands for the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation
Act of 1985 (COBRA) requires employers with group health plans
to offer employees the opportunity to continue temporarily their
group health care coverage under their employer's plan if their
coverage otherwise would cease due to termination, layoff, or
other changes in employment status (referred to as "qualifying
events"). A strike is a qualifying event.
You would keep your current insurance plan; however, you would
be required to pay for the coverage yourself.
You have 90 days to decide if you wish to file for benefits under
COBRA; and if you do file at anytime during this period, the coverage
will revert back to the first day your were cut off by the Hospital.
The cost of benefits under COBRA is 103 percent of the full insurance
premium (your portion plus the hospital’s portion plus a 3 percent
administrative charge). The benefits under COBRA are the same as
you received while not on strike – you are paying to keep the same
coverage. For more information on COBRA benefits, visit www.cobrainsurance.com or www.dol.gov/ebsa
or call 866.444.3272.
If you have a spouse or someone who can cover you under their
insurance plan, a strike may be a qualifying event allowing
for mid-year (not during open enrollment) changes in coverage.
When we strike, do I qualify for unemployment insurance?
And unemployment health insurance?
We strongly encourage every member to apply for unemployment insurance
on the first day of the strike. This can be done by phone between
the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Call 877.626.6800 if calling
from area codes 351, 413, 508, 774, or 978 or 617.626.6800 if calling
from any other area code. Press 1 to file a new UI Claim, and you
will be asked to provide your social security number and date of
birth before being transferred to a DUA agent to file your claim.
You should state that you are an RN from BWH and out of work. If
the DUA agent states that you are not eligible, simply request that
the claim be filed and allow the state to make a determination on
your claim. The agency has a Web site that may be useful – www.mass.gov/dua.
While we cannot guarantee eligibility, striking workers in
Massachusetts have received unemployment benefits based on the fact
that the employer is functioning at 80 percent capacity. In
fact, the nurses at Brockton Hospital
and St. Vincent Hospital did qualify for unemployment
during their strikes.
What should I say when I am applying for unemployment?
When you sign up for unemployment,
you can either call or go to an office near you; state you
are a Brigham and Women's nurse who is presently not working
and you would like to open an unemployment benefit claim. If
they tell you that you are not eligible for unemployment, then
ask that they still process your claim and let the state determine
if you are eligible or not. After that, you need to call every
Sunday to let them know that you are still not working (if this
is the case) and want to keep your claim open.
Will the MNA help us find per diem or temporary employment?
The MNA is working with three different temporary nurse employment
agencies that are ready and willing to help you find per diem
work during the strike. Below you can find the contact information
for each agency.
Progressive Nursing Staffers
Kim Thirkield, Nurse Recruiter 508.620.4700
kathirkield@progressivenursing.com
Diversified Staffing Group
Linda Christiani, Nurse Recruiter 508.755.1133
lchristiani@dsgworld.com
Favorite Nurses
Nurses can apply on line
www.favoritenurses.com
The MNA will also organize job fairs for nurses, either at
open meetings held during the strike or at the strike headquarters. Check
our Web page for notices regarding these events.
Will MNA help me with writing a resume?
Absolutely. We will have staff available at open meetings and
will schedule specific days and times at the strike office to
provide support with resume writing.
Will the MNA offer support to members who experience financial
hardship during the strike?
The MNA has a strike fund and your local bargaining unit has
already begun a fundraising campaign to generate significant
resources to provide support for those members who may need
special assistance during the strike. A special committee will
be formed to evaluate individual requests and distribute funds
to individual members. For members to be eligible for these
contributions, members would be expected to fulfill their picketing
commitment for the strike.
What happens if I have been approved for a vacation that
is scheduled after the strike begins?
If you have already put in for vacation time and it was approved,
then the hospital is obligated to pay you for that time, even
if you are on strike.
What should I do if I’m currently on Worker's Comp?
You should know that your worker’s compensation payments will
continue even though there is a strike. However, you shouldn’t
participate on the picket line, but help out in other ways.
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