Nurses Strike At Worcester Hospital Averted

A planned one-day strike by nurses at a Worcester hospital has been averted. Unionized nurses at St. Vincent Hospital say they reached a tentative three-year labor deal with management on Wednesday, averting the strike planned for Friday.

A ratification vote is scheduled for next week.

The nurses planned to strike to protest staffing levels they say put patient safety at risk.

The new contract says nurses would not have to care for more than four to five patients during the day and evening, and no more than five patients at night. The previous contract allowed nurses to care for up to six patients during the day and evening, and up to seven at night.

A union official says she is "jubilant." A hospital spokesman says management is "delighted."