Petition delivery highlights growing public support for nurses seeking a fair union contract to recruit and retain nurses in Franklin County

GREENFIELD, Mass., May 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Registered nurses at Baystate Franklin Medical Center, represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association, will join with community members to deliver a petition with 700+ signatures to a member of the Baystate Health Board of Trustees on Thursday, May 14.

The petition, to be delivered to Richard Bossie, Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer of Big Y Foods, Inc. at the Greenfield Big Y location, calls on Baystate Health to agree to a fair union contract that protects local patient care and supports nurses who serve the Franklin County community.

Petition Delivery Information

What: Community Petition Delivery Supporting BFMC Nurses
When: Thursday, May 14 at 12 p.m.
Where: Big Y, 237 Mohawk Trail, Greenfield, MA
Who: Richard Bossie, Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, Big Y Foods and member of the Baystate Health Board of Trustees

"We, community members of Franklin County and beyond, are calling for a fair union contract for the nurses of Baystate Franklin Medical Center (BFMC) that protects safe staffing levels, supports nurse recruitment and retention, and preserves access to high-quality local care," the community petition says.

BFMC nurses voted in April 98.2% to authorize a potential strike amid ongoing concerns over staffing, wages, and workplace protections. Nurses say the vote reflected the depth of frustration among frontline caregivers and the seriousness of the issues facing the hospital and the region.

"Our community understands what is at stake," said Suzanne Love, BFMC RN and Co-Chair of the MNA Bargaining Committee. "People in Franklin County want safe, local healthcare and they know that means supporting the nurses who provide that care every day. This petition shows that our patients and neighbors are standing with us."

Negotiations remain ongoing, but nurses say Baystate continues to refuse to address several major staffing concerns, including failing to recognize all hallway beds in the Emergency Department when determining staffing levels, reducing admission nurse hours in the Mental Health Unit despite an ongoing contract violation, and refusing to increase ancillary staffing on the hospital's medical-surgical units.

Nurses also say Baystate withdrew retroactive pay proposals after recent bargaining sessions and continues to offer wages that lag other unionized hospitals in the region, despite persistent vacancies across units including the Emergency Department, Mental Health Unit, Float Pool, Obstetrics, and Med-Surg.

"We have continued to move in negotiations and have shown we are willing to work toward a reasonable agreement," said Marissa Potter, BFMC RN and Co-Chair of the MNA Bargaining Committee. "But Baystate must recognize that safe staffing and competitive wages are essential if they want to recruit and retain nurses and preserve quality care in Franklin County."

The petition campaign follows other recent demonstrations of public support for BFMC nurses, including a unanimous resolution passed by the Greenfield City Council backing the nurses' efforts to secure a fair contract and an informational picket.

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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