Business & Tech

L+M Hospital Agrees To Renewed Negotiations With Striking Workers

The next round of talks is scheduled for December 3

As striking hospital workers manned picket lines outside Lawrence + Memorial Hospital in New London on day one of the first hospital strike to hit Connecticut in 33 years, Lawrence & Memorial Hospital officials announced their decision to return to the negotiating table. 

"The federal mediator involved in contract negotiations between Lawrence + Memorial Hospital and the unions representing its RNs and LPN/techs has scheduled the next negotiating session for Tuesday, December 3. L+M immediately agreed to resume negotiations, and it is our hope that the unions will also return to the table – this time prepared to negotiate in good faith," the hospital announced in a press release at 1:50 p.m. on Wednesday.

Lawrence & Memorial Hospital administrators had been under increasing pressure from the state's top elected officials to resume talks with the AFT Local 5049's registered nurses (RNs) and AFT Local 5051's licensed practical nurses (LPNs) and healthcare technicians, nearly 800 of whom are on a four-day strike to protest unfair labor practices

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

Gov. Dannel Malloy issued a statement yesterday suggesting the hospital officials should have done more to avert the strike. Then, earlier today, Connecticut Speaker of the House Brendan Sharkey (D-Hamden) also issued a statement voicing his support the the hospitals' 800 striking workers, saying a lack of good faith bargaining by management at Lawrence & Memorial Hospital in New London forced workers to begin a strike today.

“Good faith negotiations between labor and management are the foundation of reaching a fair contract, but when one side – Lawrence & Memorial in this case - shuts down talks well before the understood deadline and threatens a lockout, the entire process has been compromised and patient health is threatened,” Speaker Sharkey said. “These bully-like tactics by the management of Lawrence & Memorial Hospital expose a lack of commitment to both of their missions: to serve their patients as well as to provide a fair labor contract for their employees. It is time for them to come back to the bargaining table.”

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here