Dana Farber nurses strike
Dana Farber Cancer Institute nurses in Methuen went on strike last week. As a patient visiting that center every two weeks, and for the past two months, I was made aware of their claims and their hope for not arriving at this point.
The nurses announced that they would be out for just one day on September 27th and I received a letter from the administration stating it would be a one-day work stoppage.
The letter said in part: “We value our nursing colleagues and greatly appreciate their vital role in providing exceptional patient care. We all share the same goal: to fight cancer and help people live longer, healthier lives. While we are disappointed that the MNA has chosen this action, we still look forward to reaching a fair and equitable agreement with our nurses and NPs.”
Instead, they were locked out. While the executives say that they “value” their nursing staff, these actions prove otherwise.
The Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA) members in their quest for a fair contract, said that they are paid 45% less than Dana Farber nurses in Boston.
The letter also said, “We have a detailed operating plan in place to continue treating patients and to provide safe, high-quality care to everyone who needs it.”
They certainly did plan for traveling nurses to take their places and there was no difference in the care and expertise. But this was very expensive because Dana Farber had to pay their salaries, accommodations, and security.
On Thursday, several police officers were controlling the traffic and allowing the patients through for their appointments. All that could have been saved. They claim that Dana-Farber Cancer Institute had revenue for this year of $1.5 billion.
Election recount
On the September 8th edition, I described the way Germinudy Rosario, candidate for District F City Council was refused to participate in the election process because of certain anomalies on her nomination forms. Errors that should have been found at the time of her presenting them to the Election Department were allowed until the Board of Registrars refused to allow her to be on the ballot.
That’s the short story. You should read it to realize that they were not doing their job of checking that everything was in order.
Fortunately for all of us, Germinudy didn’t sit on her hands. She had done her homework and could not believe that only 39 of her friends went to vote that day. We now have proof that something is very wrong with that department.
Frederick Diaz is another candidate for council at-large who worked hard in his campaign and expected to do much better than the resulting votes. “I am convinced that there was ballot manipulation in the Election Department,” he told me.
Frederick spent lots of money on propaganda; he knocked on hundreds of doors and was interviewed on radio programs every week discussing his plans for the city. Was shocked with the results and he is also behind the movement to do a recount of the entire voting bloc.
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