TAUNTON – Morton Hospital and the Massachusetts Nursing Association have finalized a new contract, marking the first agreement since Brown University Health purchased the hospital, the health system announced Friday.
Nearly 400 workers at Morton Hospital will be represented by the union including nurses, physical and occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, social workers, medical technologists and pharmacists.
The three-year agreement includes a 2.5% wage increase that is retroactive to January along with across-the-board raises of 3% in January of each of the next two years. Also, the contract phases in a new 4% step at the top of the wage scale, lasting the lifetime of the agreement.
The contract includes health benefits and improvements to the hospital’s vacation cash-out policy and scheduling process as well as a new sick leave cash-out option. There is also expansions to bereavement policy and boosted emergency department staffing.
“Our talented nurses and healthcare professionals at Morton Hospital deliver the highest quality care to our communities with compassion and respect each day. We are pleased to further support them in collaboration with their representatives at the Massachusetts Nurses Association through our first new contract since joining Brown University Health,” said Heidi Taylor, president and vice president of finance of Morton Hospital
. “Together we look forward to best serving our patients and families across Taunton and southeastern Massachusetts as part of a non-profit regional healthcare organization focused on enhancing access to care for all.”
Brown Health acquired Morton Hospital in 2024, along with Saint Anne’s Hospital in Fall River.
Workers at Saint Anne’s are not unionized, said Brown Health spokesperson Jessica Wharton. It was not immediately clear whether there are active contract negotiations or plans for Saint Anne workers to organize.
A representative for the Massachusetts Nursing Association did not immediately respond to PBN’s request for comment.
The news comes after union workers at Rhode Island and Hasbro Children’s Hospitals voted to authorize a strike June 23. The union, the United Nurses and Allied Professionals Local 5098, say Brown Health's contract proposal was "unacceptable" and "insulting" to union workers.
"We are all tired of seeing our fellow nurses and health professionals leave for jobs in Massachusetts and Connecticut, where they are valued and respected," said Frank Sims, president of UNAP Local 5098.
The union and Brown Health have been bargaining for months. Workers say the health system has failed to offer sufficient safety protections for nurses and health care workers or offer sustainable wages and affordable health insurance. A recent proposal from Brown Health would shift about $1 million onto workers through increased health insurance costs.
Meanwhile, the health system says it has not received an official strike notice, adding federal law requires UNAP to provide at least 10 days notice before any strike action. But should there be a strike, the hospital is prepared to provide "ensure safe, uninterrupted, and high-quality care," said Kelly Brennan, a spokesperson for Brown Health.
Brennan says there have been dozens of bargaining sessions and the health system presented the union its best and final offer June 6. This proposal included retroactive raises and benefits totaling $50 million over the next three years.
UNAP has yet to announce when the strike would take place. A union spokesperson did not immediately respond to PBN's questions about scheduling the strike Friday.
Katie Castellani is a PBN staff writer. You may contact her at Castellani@PBN.com.
