Amid Union Contract Talks, Framingham Nurses Look to “Reset” Relationship with Tenet

FRAMINGHAM - Nurses at Framingham Union Hospital have sent a petition to MetroWest Medical Center CEO John Whitlock Jr. to “reset” the relationship between healthcare workers and upper management amid negotiations over a union contract.

The petition was submitted following a press conference hosted by the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA) on Tuesday, March 11, in front of the hospital. It calls upon Whitlock and other officials with Tenet Healthcare—the Texas-based company that owns MetroWest Medical Center—to work in tandem with nurses to resume negotiations for the creation of a union contract for local nurses, according to the MNA.

The largest union for registered nurses in the state added that over 80% of nurses at Framingham Union Hospital have signed the petition, which was written following recent turnover among the top executive positions within Tenet’s Massachusetts operations. The MNA stated that previous contract negotiations were carried out while Tenet had Carolyn Jackson in place as the CEO of their Massachusetts market. Jackson reportedly stepped down from the role in February, according to the Worcester Telegram and Gazette, as Denten Park has since been named as Tenet’s Massachusetts market CEO. The MNA also criticized the presence of Chief Nursing Officer for the market Denise Kvapil, whose tenure in the role concluded last month as well, during previous contract discussions.

“We are hopeful that we can reset our relationship with Tenet and begin a good faith effort to move our negotiations forward to achieve an agreement that ensures safe patient care for the community, and that treats the dedicated staff at the hospital with the respect and dignity they deserve,” telemetry nurse at Framingham Union Hospital and member of the local bargaining committee Natalie Laidlaw said during Tuesday’s press event.

Framingham Union Hospital nurses voted in favor of joining the MNA back in January 2024. Since then, Laidlaw described prior negotiation efforts with Tenet as “fruitless.” The MNA has alleged that Tenet had previously created deliberate delays and obstacles during the union negotiation process; they claim that in-person meetings with local nurses had been denied until certain stipulations regarding work conditions were dropped from the negotiations.

“These nurses and this community—and yes, Tenet itself—will be better off if and when these nurses have a contract that provides them with the voice and the power to fulfill their professional role as the most important source of direct care at the facility,” MNA President and Framingham resident Katie Murphy said on Tuesday.

MNA-affiliated nurses in Framingham expressed optimism about the new Tenet leadership during Tuesday’s event. Recent written comments from Whitlock in recognition of National Employee Appreciation Day—which was Friday, March 7—were commended by Laidlaw, adding to the group’s hopefulness.

“Consistently reaching the high standards of excellence that we set for ourselves not only requires talent, passion, and dedication on the part of every employee; it also requires teamwork,” Whitlock wrote in a letter read by Laidlaw on Tuesday.

“We can’t do it alone. We only succeed when we work effectively together.”

The creation of the petition came after Framingham Mayor Charlie Sisitsky told the City Council bout Tenet’s intentions to reduce maternity services at the hospital. Famingham Union Hospital nurses submitted a complaint to state and federal agencies in September regarding the status of conditions at the site.