Saint Vincent Hospital Accused of Union-Busting, Judge Rules in Favor of Nurses Union
- Judge Susannah Merritt found that Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester, Massachusettes violated federal law by unlawfully denying access to union representatives to the hospital.
- Nurses at Saint Vincent Hospital are part of the Massachusetts Nurses' Union, the largest in the state and the third largest in the nation.
- The hospital is known for violating the NLRA with over 800 nurses striking from 2021-2022 over patient dafety concerns and collective bargaining disputes.
A National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) judge ruled that Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester, Massachusetts, violated federal law by denying union representatives access to the hospital and by preventing the nurses’ union from being present.
Saint Vincent Hospital required Massachusetts Nurses Union (MNA) representatives to give 24 hours' notice prior to visiting, and when they showed up unannounced, they were denied entry. U.S. Administrative Law Judge Susannah Merritt found several NLRB violations within the complaint.
“By suddenly requiring union representatives to provide 24 hours' notice ahead of time for every visit or to provide a defense for not doing so, respondent materially changed the parties' longstanding practice allowing the union representatives wide discretion in determining how much notice was reasonably possible for any given visit," Merritt said.
The issues found were direct violations of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). Passed by Congress in 1935, the Act “protects the rights of employees to form, join or assist labor organizations, to bargain collectively through representatives of their choosing, and to engage in activities for the purpose of collective bargaining or associated mutual aid or protection.” It was amended in 1974 to cover employees of nonprofit health care institutions.
Key Violations Found
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Unilateral change to the access policy
The hospital began requiring MNA union representatives to provide 24 hours’ notice before visiting—a major shift from the past practice where the hospital typically accepted whatever notice was “reasonably possible.”
The judge, U.S. Administrative Law Judge Susannah Merritt, ruled this was a “material change” made without bargaining, violating the NLRA. Employers must negotiate with unions before changing established terms or practices that affect working conditions or union rights.
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Improper banning of union representatives
The hospital banned certain union representatives from the facility, which the judge found unlawful. Even if the hospital had a legitimate reason, it still had to negotiate with the union first.
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Unlawful change to incentive pay
Saint Vincent reduced a shift bonus for represented workers from $600 to $400 without prior notice or bargaining. The judge found this violated the NLRA because employers can’t unilaterally change pay or conditions for unionized employees.
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Bypassing the union
The hospital directly solicited employees to sign individual incentive agreements. Employers must deal with the union as the exclusive representative, not individuals, when hospital workers are unionized.
Massachusetts Nurses’ Union
Founded in 1903, the MNA is the largest union and professional association of registered nurses and health professionals in Massachusetts. MNA is the third-largest nurses' union in the country. It represents more than 23,000 members working in 85 health care facilities, including 51 acute care hospitals. Hospitals include
- Tufts Medical Center
- UMass Memorial
- Newton‑Wellesley
- Saint Vincent Hospital
According to the MNA’s website, the purpose of the union is
- Work for the improvement and availability of health care services for all people.
- Foster high standards of nursing practice, education, and research.
- Promote the health and safety of nurses.
- Act and speak for registered nurses in Massachusetts.
- Foster involvement by RNs in the political process to shape sound health policies.
Saint Vincent’s Troubled Past
This isn’t the first time that Saint Vincent Hospital has made national news, and in a bad way. One of the longest-running nursing strikes took place from March 8th, 2021, to January 3rd, 2022, at Saint Vincent’s. More than 800 nurses were involved in the strike over multiple problems and violations of their contract. Nurses filed more than 1,000 official unsafe staffing reports that they said impeded patient care.
Then, in August 2025, unsafe staffing was tied to three deaths and over 200 injuries according to a federal probe. The joint investigation by the Department of Public Health (DPH) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) found that “all patients were placed in 'immediate jeopardy' for serious harm.”
What This Means for Nurses
Representatives for the hospital and the nurses' union have not formally commented on the decision by Judge Merritt. With an appeal, things would need to go back to how they were before, according to the union contract.
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