Registered nurses with the Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) of Cape Cod Healthcare (CCHC), represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA), will begin their three-day strike starting at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, October 22, at 67 Ter Heun Drive near Falmouth Hospital, on the street below the bike path.
The nurses are taking this action after months of negotiations in which CCHC has refused to address critical issues of uncompetitive wages, recruitment challenges, and chronic turnover that threaten the quality and continuity of home care for patients across Cape Cod and the Islands.
Strike Schedule
- Wednesday, 10/22: Picketing, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 67 Ter Heun Drive, near Falmouth Hospital, on the street below the bike path.
- Thursday, 10/23: Picketing/standout, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. near Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis, Park Square at the junction of Main St. and Lewis Bay Rd.
- Friday, 10/24: Picketing/standout, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Hyannis Airport rotary.
Background: A Workforce in Crisis
VNA nurses provide essential home health and hospice care to thousands of Cape and Islands residents each year — caring for patients who are discharged from hospitals earlier and sicker than ever. They manage complex treatments, all of which are delivered independently in patients’ homes.
At the heart of the dispute is CCHC’s refusal to offer wage increases on par with those recently negotiated for hospital nurses at Cape Cod and Falmouth Hospitals, who received a 19% raise over three years. VNA nurses, who already earn about 20% less, were offered only 10% over three years, which would widen the pay gap to nearly 29%.
Nearly one-third of the VNA’s nursing staff are temporary travel nurses. This costly, unstable practice disrupts continuity of care. CCHC spends hundreds of thousands of dollars each month on short-term staff, yet fails to invest in permanent caregivers.
“This strike is about protecting patient care for our community,” said Mike Barry, RN and union co-chair. “VNA patients deserve a stable, local nursing workforce — not a revolving door of temporary staff.”
