Baystate Franklin Nurses Vote 98% to Reject Inadequate "Best and Final" Offer in Push for Contract that Protects Safe, Local Patient Care

BFMC nurses, community members, and elected officials call on Baystate to negotiate a fair agreement for nurses and patients   

GREENFIELD, Mass., June 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Registered nurses at Baystate Franklin Medical Center (BFMC), represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA), voted 98% on Wednesday, June 10 to reject Baystate Health's so-called "best and final" contract offer.

The vote, which ended at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, sends a clear message that nurses believe Baystate's proposal fails to adequately address key concerns around staffing, recruitment and retention, health insurance protections, and competitive compensation needed to support safe patient care.

The rejection comes after months of growing community support for the nurses' efforts, including a petition signed by more than 700 community members, a unanimous Greenfield City Council resolution backing the nurses' contract campaign, and ongoing advocacy from patients and local residents concerned about the future of healthcare in Franklin County. BFMC nurses voted 98.2% earlier this year to authorize a potential strike.

"This vote reflects the frustration nurses feel after Baystate chose to issue a so-called 'best and final' offer instead of working with us to reach a fair compromise," said Suzanne Love, RN, Co-Chair of the MNA Bargaining Committee. "We have demonstrated our willingness to negotiate and find common ground. Baystate needs to listen to the nurses who provide care every day at our community hospital."

"Our community has stood with us because they understand what is at stake in our negotiations," said Marissa Potter, RN, Co-Chair of the MNA Bargaining Committee. "We are urging Baystate executives to abandon their take-it-or-leave-it approach and engage in meaningful negotiations that address the concerns raised by our nurses and the communities we serve."

Nurses continue to advocate for improvements that would strengthen patient care, including appropriate staffing in the Emergency Department, restoration of admission nurse coverage in the Mental Health Unit, and increased ancillary staffing support on medical-surgical units. They also continue to push for compensation that will help recruit and retain nurses in a competitive healthcare market.

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Founded in 1903, the Massachusetts Nurses Association is the largest union of registered nurses in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Its 26,000 members advance the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting the economic and general welfare of nurses in the workplace, projecting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and by lobbying the Legislature and regulatory agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and the public.

SOURCE Massachusetts Nurses Association