MNA: Baystate Franklin Nurses to Banner Outside Northampton Clinic Calling on Baystate Health to Settle a Fair Contract and Protect Local Patient Care

NORTHAMPTON, Mass., June 3, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Registered nurses at Baystate Franklin Medical Center (BFMC), represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA), will hold a banner action outside the Baystate Health & Wellness Center in Northampton on Monday, June 8, as they continue their fight for a fair union contract that protects patients, supports nurses, and preserves access to local care in Franklin County.

Banner Action Information
What: Banner Action Supporting BFMC Nurses
When: Monday, June 8, 2026, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Where: Baystate Health & Wellness Center, 325B King Street, Northampton, MA

The action comes amid growing public support for BFMC nurses, 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 amid ongoing concerns over staffing, wages, recruitment and retention, and workplace protections. Nurses say the overwhelming vote reflected deep concern about Baystate's failure to address issues affecting both caregivers and patients.

"Baystate executives say they care about our communities, but their actions at the bargaining table undermine our nursing workforce and local patient care," said Suzanne Love, RN, Co-Chair of the MNA Bargaining Committee. "Every day that Baystate delays a fair agreement makes it harder to recruit and retain nurses in Franklin County. Our patients deserve a hospital that is fully staffed and prepared to meet the community's needs."

Negotiations remain ongoing, but Baystate has rejected multiple nurse proposals that would meet management's contract duration request and improve staffing and patient care, including recognizing all Emergency Department hallway beds when determining staffing levels, restoring admission nurse coverage in the Mental Health Unit, and increasing ancillary staffing support on medical-surgical units.

Baystate continues to offer wages that fall behind other unionized hospitals in the region despite persistent vacancies in key departments, including the Emergency Department, Mental Health Unit, Float Pool, Obstetrics, and Medical-Surgical units.

"We have shown again and again that we are willing to compromise and work toward a fair settlement," said Marissa Potter, RN, Co-Chair of the MNA Bargaining Committee. "Patients, nurses, elected officials, and residents all understand that protecting local healthcare requires investing in the nurses who provide it. It's time for Baystate to settle a fair contract."

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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.

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SOURCE Massachusetts Nurses Association