On June 30 in Springfield about a dozen nurses and their supporters delivered a petition signed by 800 or so people to the nurses' boss. The nurses work at Mercy medical center. The petition says, “These front-line workers deserve to have their voices heard and have a fair contract settled, and the community deserves high-quality and safe care. It is time to settle a fair contract with the nurses of Mercy medical center and invest in the future of our community.”

The 400 or so nurses who work at Mercy are negotiating a union contract. The nurses have a web site at www.MassNurses.org.

Mercy is owned by Trinity corporation. One of the nurses at the Springfield protest was Alex Wright. He said, “Despite our work to keep the community safe and healthy during the pandemic and beyond, Trinity executives continue to under-staff the hospital, leading to unsafe working conditions. Trinity’s bare bones staffing model leads to burnout among nurses and hurts Mercy’s mostly Black and Latinx patient population. Trinity has not worked with the nurses to address the root problems that cause or contribute to chronic under-staffing and Mercy’s inability to hire and retain both nurses and other staff.”

Based in Michigan, Trinity owns 92 hospitals in the USA. Its CEO made $2,866,730 last year.