MNA: St. Luke's Hospital Nurses to Hold Informational Picket September 17 in New Bedford

Nurses join with community supporters to call on Southcoast Health to prioritize investment in safe RN staffing for quality patient care

NEW BEDFORD, Mass., Sept. 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The registered nurses of St. Luke's Hospital, represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA), will hold an informational picket on Wednesday, September 17 to highlight Southcoast Health's need to reach a fair contract agreement that ensures safe patient care and competitive wages. Despite progress at the bargaining table, Southcoast has yet to agree to enforceable staffing improvements and wage increases that would bring St. Luke's nurses closer to parity with nurses across the region and help the hospital provide the level of care the community deserves.

Informational Picket Details

Date: Wednesday, September 17, 2025
Time: 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Location: Outside the main entrance of St. Luke's Hospital, New Bedford, MA
Details: This is an informational picket and not a strike. Nurses may attend while off duty or on break. Family, friends, and community members are strongly encouraged to join in solidarity for quality care and respect for St. Luke's nurses.

On September 3, elected MNA nurse leaders at St. Luke's delivered a petition signed by more than 600 nurses to Southcoast Health CEO David McCready. The petition urged the hospital system to build on the progress at the table and agree to a contract that protects patients, values nurses, and strengthens the community's access to safe, high-quality care.

"St. Luke's Hospital should have staffing levels and RN wages that reflect St. Luke's position as the largest hospital and leader of patient care in the region," said Kim Beaulieu, RN, and Co-Chair of the St. Luke's MNA Bargaining Committee. "With this informational picket, nurses are urging Southcoast to work with us to make St. Luke's the best hospital for patient care and the top hospital where nurses seek to work."

"We live and work in the Southcoast community and are dedicated to the patients of New Bedford and surrounding towns," said Terri DeMedeiros, RN, and Co-Chair of the St. Luke's MNA Bargaining Committee. "St. Luke's nurses are committed to addressing the final priorities of our contract to positively impact our nursing workforce and the quality of patient care at our hospital."

What Nurses Are Seeking

• Safe Staffing: Enforceable improvements to protect patients and reduce burnout, including safe limits for nurses caring for intermediate care/stepdown patients and better resource nurse staffing, especially on night shift.
  
  
• Competitive Wages: Pay increases that bring St. Luke's nurses closer to regional standards. Nurses at BI Plymouth, Brockton Hospital, Cape Cod Healthcare, and Good Samaritan Medical Center earn significantly more, making recruitment and retention at St. Luke's difficult.

In their petition, nurses wrote to CEO McCready:

"As St. Luke's nurses, we provide exceptional care to our patients and community while navigating the enormous demands that come with working at the largest hospital in Southeastern Massachusetts and a Level II Trauma Center. We have heard praise from Southcoast for the 'crucial role' we play in improving the lives of our patients and how our efforts are 'at the very heart of the care' Southcoast provides. Unfortunately, these words do not always match the reality of our experience.

"Since the COVID-19 pandemic, RN staffing shortages have worsened, with nurses continuing to raise alarms about patient safety and deteriorating morale. These conditions are unsustainable. To address these issues, we are seeking a fair contract that properly values and supports the essential care we provide."

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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