Letter 10/25/12 - South Shore Hospital

55 Fogg Road
South Weymouth
Massachusetts
02190-2455
southshorehospital.org
(781) 624-8000
October 25, 2012
Dear Nurse:
We are hearing from some of you that the Massachusetts Nurses Association is again trying to
interest nurses at South Shore Hospital in forming a labor union here - even though the MNA has
been repeatedly rejected by our nursing colleagues. Many of you have worked here during prior
efforts by the MNA to unionize our hospital. You will remember the tension, lack of
cooperation, distrust, broken friendships, name-calling and frustration that the MNA caused.
The union called nurses at home at all hours of the day and night. The union pitted one group of
nurses against another. We find it hard to believe that any of you want to go through such a
terrible experience again.
We want the Hospital’s position to be very clear. We think that the MNA has absolutely nothing
to offer you and will only be a divisive and disruptive force here. We don’t believe that you
need to pay big union dues, obey union rules or possibly strike and walk a picket line in order to
receive good wages, benefits and working conditions. We think it will be unfortunate if we have
to go through another union campaign, but if the MNA forces us to do so we have every
intention of fighting for you and our patients even more vigorously than in the past. Having the
MNA here would be an enormous mistake. We firmly believe that it fundamentally undermines
the profession of nursing and our ability to work together.
The MNA is going to try to get you to sign a union authorization card. They will tell you that
signing a union card is just a way to “show your interest” or to “get information” or to “send the
administration a message”. However, signing a union card may automatically make you a union
member and give the union the right to represent you without you ever having a chance to vote
on the issue. The MNA has tried to do that here in the past. You should not sign a union card
unless you are sure about what it means. Don’t sign it as a favor to a friend or just to get
someone off your back. If you sign a card and then decide the MNA is a bad idea, it may be
extremely difficult to get your card back. Whether or not you want to be represented by the
MNA is a very serious decision, and before you even consider signing a card, you should get
accurate information about the MNA and what having a union here would mean. Your decision
on this issue should not be based upon misinformation or false promises. Over the next few
weeks we will be providing you with information about the MNA which we hope you will find
helpful. We encourage you to ask questions and feel free to talk to your nurse leaders or any of
us. Our doors are open and as always, we welcome your ideas and thoughts.
Not-for-profit, charitable, tax-exempt provider of acute, outpatient, home health and hospice care to Southeastern Massachusetts

We recognize that all health care organizations in this country are facing a lot of challenges, and
South Shore Hospital is not immune. We must change in order to meet these new challenges.
We recognize that change can be difficult and that some even view it as threatening. However,
we always try to do the right thing for our patients and you. We hope you will continue to work
with us to keep our hospital a great hospital and a great place to work and certainly don’t believe
that bringing the MNA here would be a positive or helpful step for any of us.
Sincerely,
Richard H. Aubut, R.N Timothy Quigley, R.N. Rose DiPietro, R.N.
President/CEO Vice President, Vice President,
Nursing/CNO
Clinical, Outpatient &
Homecare Services
Not-for-profit, charitable, tax-exempt provider of acute, outpatient, home health and hospice care to Southeastern Massachusetts