AG HEALEY SUES EDUCATION SECRETARY BETSY DEVOS AND U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION FOR ABANDONING CRITICAL STUDENT PROTECTIONS

AG HEALEY SUES EDUCATION SECRETARY BETSY DEVOS AND U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION FOR ABANDONING CRITICAL STUDENT PROTECTIONSLeads Coalition of States in Lawsuit Against DeVos for Canceling Rules That Protect Students and Taxpayers from Abuse by Predatory For-Profit Schools

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Standing up for students in Massachusetts and across the country, Attorney General Maura Healey today led a coalition of 19 states in suing the U.S. Department of Education and Secretary Betsy DeVos for abandoning critical federal protections that were set to go into effect on July 1, 2017. 

The complaint, filed in U.S. District Court, alleges that the Department of Education violated federal law by abruptly rescinding its Borrower Defense Rule which was designed to hold abusive higher education institutions accountable for cheating students and taxpayers out of billions of dollars in federal loans. The rule was finalized by the Obama administration in November 2016 after nearly two years of negotiations, following the collapse of Corinthian Colleges, a national for-profit chain.

 “Since day one, Secretary DeVos has sided with for-profit school executives against students and families drowning in unaffordable student loans,” AG Healey said. “Her decision to cancel vital protections for students and taxpayers is a betrayal of her office’s responsibility and a violation of federal law. We call on Secretary DeVos and the U.S. Department of Education to restore these rules immediately.”  

In May 2017, Secretary DeVos announced that the Department was reevaluating the Borrower Defense Rule. On June 14, the Department announced its intent to delay large portions of the Borrower Defense Rule without soliciting, receiving, or responding to any comment from any stakeholder or member of the public, and without engaging in a public deliberative process. The Department simultaneously announced its intent to issue a new regulation to replace the Borrower Defense Rule.

In a short notice published in the Federal Register, the Department cited pending litigation in the case California Association of Private Postsecondary Schools (CAPPS) v. Betsy DeVos as an excuse for delaying implementation of the Borrower Defense Rule. State attorneys general argue in their lawsuit that “the Department’s reference to the pending litigation is a mere pretext for repealing the Rule and replacing it with a new rule that will remove or dilute student rights and protections.”

Last month, AG Healey led a coalition of attorneys general in filing a motion to intervene in the CAPPS case in order to defend students and taxpayers from the challenge to the Borrower Defense Rule brought by the plaintiffs – a trade association representing many for-profit schools.

Additionally, without the protections of the current Borrower Defense Rule, many students who are harmed by the misconduct of for-profit schools are unable to seek a remedy in court. The Borrower Defense Rule limits the ability of schools to require students to sign mandatory arbitration agreements and class action waivers, which are commonly used by for-profit schools to avoid negative publicity and to thwart legal actions by students who have been harmed by schools’ abusive conduct.

Today’s complaint asks the Court to declare the Department’s delay notice unlawful and to order the Department to implement the Borrower Defense Rule.

AG Healey’s Office served on the Department of Education’s negotiated rulemaking committee that helped develop the Borrower Defense Rule – in large part as a result of state and federal investigations into for-profit schools such as Corinthian Colleges. Under the rule, a successful enforcement action against a school by a state attorney general entitles borrowers to obtain loan forgiveness, and enables the Department of Education to seek repayment of any amounts forgiven from the school. Attorney General Healey has assisted more than 5,500 victimized Massachusetts borrowers in securing millions in federal student loan relief.

The coalition involved in today’s lawsuit, led by AG Healey, include the attorneys general of Massachusetts, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and the District of Columbia.

In another lawsuit filed today against the Department of Education, the consumer rights advocacy group Public Citizen and the Project on Predatory Student Lending argue on behalf of two student borrowers that the delay of the Borrower Defense Rule is unlawful.

AG Healey continues to lead efforts to help students who were deceived by predatory for-profit schools – and has secured debt relief for students that went to Corinthian Colleges and the American Career Institute. The AG’s Office has also reached settlements worth more than $6 million with Kaplan Career Institute, Lincoln Tech, Sullivan & Cogliano, and Salter College, and has filed a lawsuit against ITT Tech. The AG’s Office has rallied state attorneys general and members of Congress to speak out on the importance of loan discharge, authored letters, and organized calls and meetings with the Department of Education to help students struggling with their federal loan debt.

Students looking for more information or assistance should visit the AG Healey’s Student Lending Assistance page or call the Student Loan Assistance Unit Hotline at 1-888-830-6277.

波士頓又出現帶西尼羅病毒蚊子

First West Nile Virus-Positive Mosquitoes of the Season Detected in Boston

BPHC advises residents to avoid mosquito bites and mosquito-proof their homes

BOSTON - Tuesday, July 11, 2017 ­- The Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) today announced that a mosquito pool in Roslindale has tested positive for West Nile Virus (WNV). Although there have been no recorded human cases of mosquito-borne illnesses in Boston this year, BPHC advises residents to prevent mosquito bites and protect their homes by using window screens and emptying standing water.   WNV is most commonly transmitted to humans by the bite of a mosquito infected with the virus, but it poses very low risk to most people. The risk can be further reduced by using insect repellant when outdoors, especially from dusk to dawn and, when possible, wearing long-sleeved shirts and pants.   Residents should also mosquito-proof their homes by making sure that their window and door screens are in good repair to prevent mosquitoes from getting inside. To help prevent mosquitoes from breeding, BPHC advises residents to empty standing water from flowerpots, gutters, buckets, pool covers, pet water dishes, discarded tires, and birdbaths on a regular basis.   The City of Boston, in partnership with the Suffolk County Mosquito Control Project, has placed larvicide in catch basins and wetlands, a process designed to reduce the mosquito population. Targeted, truck-mounted aerosol spraying is also performed to help control the mosquito population in certain areas of Boston.   If residents have any questions related to the spraying or any questions on mosquitoes, they may call the Suffolk County Mosquito Control Project at (781) 899-5730. For more information on sprayings, please visit bphc.org/mosquitocontrol.   For more information on mosquito-borne illness, call the Boston Public Health Commission at (617) 534-5611 or visit bphc.org/mbi.

麻州長提名二法院法官人選

Governor Baker Nominates Western MA Superior Court Judge Edward McDonough to the Appeals Court and Bruce Melikian to Western MA District Court

BOSTON—Today, Governor Charlie Baker nominated Superior Court Regional Administrative Justice Edward McDonough of Longmeadow to serve as an Associate Justice of the Appeals Court, and Bruce Melikian of Wilbraham to serve as an Associate Justice on the District Courts in Western Massachusetts. After a distinguished 32 year career as a trial attorney, McDonough was appointed to the Superior Court in 2013 and as Regional Administrative Justice covering Hampden, Hampshire, Granklin and Berkshire Counties in 2015; Melikian has over 33 years of experience in both criminal and civil litigation and has operated his own firm in Springfield since 1987.

“Throughout their careers, Judge McDonough and Attorney Melikian have demonstrated a strong commitment to serving the Western Massachusetts community,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “I am confident, should they be confirmed, that their knowledge of the law, wisdom and temperament will serve the Commonwealth and their respective courts well.”

“I am pleased with the nominations of two well-respected and skilled attorneys from Western Massachusetts,” said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito. “Their broad experience and dedication make them great candidates to continue to serve the Commonwealth and those who appear in their courts.”

The Appeals Court is the intermediate appellate court to which most appeals from the Massachusetts Trial Courts and a number of administrative bodies are made.  The Court has one Chief and 24 Associate Justices.

For more information about the Massachusetts Appeals Court, visithttp://www.mass.gov/courts/court-info/appealscourt/.

The District Court hears a wide range of criminal, civil, housing, juvenile, mental health, and other types of cases. District Court criminal jurisdiction extends to all felonies punishable by a sentence up to five years, and many other specific felonies with greater potential penalties; all misdemeanors; and all violations of city and town ordinances and by-laws. In civil matters, District Court judges conduct both jury and jury-waived trials, and determine with finality any matter in which the likelihood of recovery does not exceed $25,000. The District Court also tries small claims involving up to $7,000 (initially tried to a magistrate, with a defense right of appeal either to a judge or to a jury). The District Court's civil jurisdiction also includes many specialized proceedings, including abuse prevention restraining orders and civil motor vehicle infractions (tried initially to a magistrate, with right of appeal to a judge).

For more information about the District Court, visit http://www.mass.gov/courts/court-info/trial-court/dc/

Judicial nominations are subject to the advice and consent of the Governor’s Council. Applicants for judicial openings are reviewed by the Judicial Nominating Commission (JNC) and recommended to the governor. Governor Baker established the JNC in February, 2015 pursuant to Executive Order 558, a non-partisan, non-political Commission composed of volunteers from a cross-section of the Commonwealth's diverse population to screen judicial applications. Twenty-one members were later appointed to the JNC in April, 2015.

About The Honorable Edward McDonough

Edward J. McDonough Jr. currently serves as an Associate Justice of the Massachusetts Superior Court, and its Regional Administrative Justice for Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin and Berkshire Counties. McDonough began his career as a student law clerk, becoming an Associate Attorney in 1981 and later Managing Partner at the Springfield firm of Egan, Flanagan & Cohen, P.C. until his appointment to the bench in 2013.  His trial practice in the Superior and Federal Courts focused primarily on civil rights law, product liability and medical malpractice.  McDonough has represented clients in the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, Massachusetts Appeals Court, First Circuit Court of Appeals, and Supreme Court of the United States. McDonough has served as an adjunct faculty member at Bay Path University and Elms College.  In 2004, he was admitted to fellowship in the American College of Trial Lawyers and his professional affiliations include the Hampden County and Massachusetts Bar Associations. McDonough graduated magna cum laude from Western New England University School of Law in 1981 and from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 1977 earning a Bachelor of Arts in History. He resides in Longmeadow with his wife Melissa and family

About Bruce S. Melikian

Bruce Melikian has over 33 years of legal experience in both civil and criminal law. He started his legal career as an associate in 1983 for the Law Offices of Edward N. Hurley in Springfield, where he focused on family law and criminal and civil litigation. After four years, he became a partner/owner at Hurley, Melikian, P.C. in Springfield, continuing his work in litigation and engaging in trial work in the Probate, District and Superior Courts to this day. His professional associations include the Massachusetts Bar Association, Hampden County Bar Association and the Armenian Bar Association. Attorney Melikian has received a very high peer review rating for over 20 years with  the Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings. Attorney Melikian graduated magna cum laude from the Western New England University School of Law in 1983 and from the American International College in 1979, earning a Bachelor of Science Degree with High Honor. He is a life-long resident of Hampden County and currently resides in Wilbraham with his family.

麻州香港協會慶祝回歸20週年 (圖片)

塔芙茨醫療中心護士今(12)日將罷工一天

華人前進會就塔芙茨醫院護士預定7月12日早上7點起罷工一天，發表如下中英文說明。麻州護士協會也發表新聞稿。

塔夫茨醫院護士在7月11日星期二返回談判，試圖避免患者一天的安全受影響

注冊護士正計劃在7月12日發動24小時的罷工，護士們憂慮醫院病人安全，資源短缺，和減掉退休計劃的問題仍未得到解決；塔夫茨醫院威脅4天把護士關在外面

波士頓 – 由1,200名塔夫茨醫院注冊護士選出的護士代表在7月12日星期二在波士頓聯邦調解員辦公室返回談判，希望與塔夫茨醫院達成共識，設法在預定計劃進行歷史性的24小時罷工前，解決有關病人護理安全，退休保障和其它的問題。

除非塔夫茨醫院同意一個公平的合同，並真正重視護士和保障病人能得到最優秀的護理，塔夫茨的護士們，由麻州護士協會作代表，已準備好一天的罷工由7月12日星期三的上午7時開始，直至7月13日星期四的上午6時59分。

“塔夫茨的護士們已經提出解決醫院人手和病人護理問題的方案，並已找出如何支付解決方案”手術室護士兼談判小組共同主席 Mary Havlicek Cornacchia提出，“我們希望塔夫茨的管理層會在星期二能坐下來，聆聽護士的聲音和決定會真正的談判。”

“醫院想減掉過百位塔夫茨護士的長期賺得的退休福利，”Havlicek Cornacchia 說。“取而代之，我們已經提出改用另一個退休計劃，會立即為醫院節省1千1百萬美元的費用，并能減少醫院8千5百萬的保險支出。我們已經準備好星期二談判，能找到合適我們的病人和護士的解決方法，但是如果塔夫茨不願意談判，我們也準備好24小時的罷工。”

注冊護士星期二至星期四的公共時間表

7月11日星期二早上10時：塔夫茨護士會回到波士頓99號Summer街的聯邦調解員辦公室進行談判。

7月12日星期三早上7時：如果塔夫茨管理層拒絕接受一個公平的合約去保護病人和尊重護士，一天的罷工正式展開。護士和支持者會在醫院800號華盛頓街的正門外集會。抗議將會展開，並在24小時的罷工和醫院有可能會閉關的期間持續進行。

7月12日星期三中午12時和下午5時：在醫院800號華盛頓街的正門外，與護士，職員，社區支持者和地方領袖一起集會示威。

7月13日星期四上午6是59分：注冊護士一天的罷工終結。護士會在800號華盛頓節門外集會，當日值班的護士計劃返回塔夫茨醫院照顧病人。塔夫茨醫院已威脅會4天把護士關在外面。

塔夫茨醫院罷工替工護士的真相

在塔夫茨的護士24小時罷工的期間，管理層打算帶入全國國地的臨時替工護士，他們對醫院毫不認識，跟塔夫茨的護士不一樣因爲不是專科，麻州護士協會認爲這個做法會危害病人護理。

歷史，學術性研究，和有工會的注冊護士全都能作證，臨時的替工護士是不能取代暫時失去一班有專業領域的護士，他們並非常熟悉自己的病人和醫院的運作。在2010年，國家經濟研究局的一項調查總括，“招聘替工明顯不會有幫助：在罷工的情況下，有聘請替工的醫院不會比沒有請替工的醫院有更好的服務。在各種情況下，需要深切護理的病人在護士罷工的時候惡化的機會會變得更高。”http://www.nber.org/digest/jul10/w15855.htm

在2000年期間，在Worcester St. Vincent醫院一班麻州護士協會的護士曾經罷工，當時醫院行聘用了替工護士，來自同一間塔夫茨醫院正打算會聘用的罷工補替護士公司，有三名護士被解雇，分別因爲替工護士在病人手術后丟下了病人，還有帶錯了嬰兒給一個母親，這些全部都有在Worcester Telegram & Gazette 和WCVB視頻有新聞報道記錄的。根據Channel 5 的報道，有另一名病人被輸入了幾乎致命過量的嗎啡，正因爲一名替工護士誤會了醫生的指示。https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1LfVT2Ot3I

以下可以瞭解更多有關這些病人安全問題
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1LfVT2Ot3I>
<http://massnurses.org/news-and-events/p/openItem/10550>.

“即使在正常的情況下，也需要幾個星期才能訓練一個有經驗的護士去提供良好的護理”工會共同主席兼一名輸液/導管/認證放射有經驗的護士提出。“他們怎可以有期望一班來自全國不同地方，在這間醫院又毫無經驗的護士，能讓醫院安全地運作？這是不負責任的想法。與其發出最後聲言和花費數百萬美元去忽視我們，不如聽取我們的意見，提供一個公平，和能真正重視病人護理安全，而不是為了企業利潤的協議。”

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release                                              Contact: David Schildmeier, 781-249-0430

Date:  July 10, 2017

Tufts Medical Center Nurses to Return to Negotiations Tuesday, July 11 in Attempt to Avert One-Day Patient Safety Strike

RNs plan 24-hour strike on July 12 as nurses’ concerns over patient safety, lack of resources, 

retirement takeaway remains unresolved; Tufts threatens 4-day lockout

BOSTON – The registered nurses elected to represent their 1,200 colleagues at Tufts Medical Center will return to negotiations at the federal mediator’s office in Boston on Tuesday, July 11 in an attempt to reach an agreement with Tufts on safe patient care, retirement and other outstanding issues ahead of a historic 24-hour strike planned for July 12.

Tufts nurses, represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association, are prepared to hold a one-day strike beginning at 7 a.m. on Wednesday, July 12 and running until 6:59 a.m. on Thursday, July 13 unless Tufts agrees to a fair contract that properly values nurses and ensures patients have the highly skilled Tufts nursing care they need.

 “Tufts nurses have proposed solutions for our hospital’s staffing and patient care problems and a way to fund those solutions,” said Mary Havlicek Cornacchia, an OR nurse and bargaining unit co-chair. “We hope that Tufts management will sit down on Tuesday, listen to its nurses and decide to actually negotiate.

 “The hospital wants to take away long-earned retirement benefits of hundreds of Tufts nurses,” Havlicek Cornacchia said. “Instead, we have proposed a different pension plan that would mean $11 million in immediate savings for the hospital and an $85 million reduction in liabilities. We are ready to negotiate for real solutions for our patients and our nurses on Tuesday, but we are also prepared to strike for 24 hours if Tufts is not willing to negotiate.”

RN Public Schedule for Tuesday-Thursday

10 a.m. Tuesday, July 11: Tufts nurses will return to the bargaining table at the federal mediator’s office at 99 Summer St. in Boston.

7 a.m. Wednesday, July 12: One-day strike begins if Tufts management refuses to agree to a fair contract that protects patients and values nurses. Nurses and supporters will gather outside the main entrance of the hospital at 800 Washington St. in Boston. Picketing will begin and continue through the duration of the 24-hour strike and potential hospital lock out.

12 p.m. and 5 p.m. Wednesday, July 12: Rallies outside the hospital at 800 Washington St. in Boston with nurses, staff, community supporters and local leaders.

6:59 a.m. Thursday, July 13: One-day RN strike ends. Nurses will gather outside the hospital at 800 Washington St. in Boston and those scheduled to work plan to enter Tufts to care for their patients. The hospital has threatened to lock out nurses for four days.

The Truth about Tufts Strike Replacement Nurses

During the planned 24-hour strike by Tufts nurses, TMC management plans to bring in mercenary replacement nurses from all over the country who do not know the hospital, are not highly specialized like the Tufts nurses, and who the Massachusetts Nurses Association believes will endanger patient care.

History, academic studies and unionized registered nurses can all testify to the fact that mercenary replacement nurses cannot make up for the temporary loss of nurses who are specialized in their fields and knowledgeable of their patients and the hospital systems. A 2010 study by the National Bureau of Economic 

Research<http://www.nber.org/digest/jul10/w15855.html> concluded, “Hiring replacement workers apparently does not help: hospitals that hired replacement workers performed no better during strikes than those that did not hire substitute employees. In each case, patients with conditions that required intensive nursing were more likely to fare worse in the presence of nurses' strikes.”

During the 2000 strike by MNA nurses at St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester, three replacement nurses recruited by the same strike replacement nurse agency Tufts plans to use, were fired after separate incidents in which they left a patient alone after surgery and also gave the wrong baby to a nursing mother, according to news reports by the Worcester Telegram & Gazette and WCVB Channel 5<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1LfVT2Ot3I>. Another patient was given a nearly fatal overdose of morphine because a replacement nurse misunderstood a doctor’s order, according to Channel 5.

See more about these patient safety problems in a video here<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1LfVT2Ot3I> and read more about this issue here<http://massnurses.org/news-and-events/p/openItem/10550>.

“It can take several weeks to orientate even an experienced nurse to provide quality care under normal conditions," said Barbara Tiller, union co-chair and an IV/PICC/CRN nurse. “How can they possibly expect to safely operate this hospital with nurses drawn from all parts of the country who have no experience with our facility? It is irresponsible. Instead of issuing ultimatums and spending millions of dollars to ignore us, it's time they listened to us and offered a fair settlement that values safe patient care over corporate profits.”

Karen Y. Chen, Executive Director

Chinese Progressive Association 華人前進會

28 Ash Street, Boston, MA 02111

p:617-357-4499 f:617-357-9611

www.cpaboston.org

Tufts Medical Center Nurses Will Wage One-Day Strike on July 12 As Last-Ditch Talks Fail to Reach Agreement

RNs plan 24-hour strike as nurses’ concerns over patient safety, lack of resources, retirement takeaway remain unresolved; Tufts threatens four-day lock out

BOSTON – The 1,200 registered nurses at Tufts Medical Center, who are represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association, will conduct an historic one-day strike tomorrow as the latest round of negotiations held today at the federal mediator’s office failed to achieve a settlement that ensures patients have the highly skilled nursing care they deserve. The strike will begin at 7 a.m. on Wednesday and run until 6:59 a.m. on Thursday, July 13. It will be the first strike by nurses in Boston in over 30 years, and the largest nurses’ strike in Massachusetts history.

“We came to the table today hoping to reach an agreement, but Tufts management is determined to force a strike and a subsequent lock out of our nurses,” said Mary Havlicek Cornacchia, an OR nurse and bargaining unit co-chair. “This decision really shows administration’s lack of respect for its nurses and for the safety our patients.”

The nurses are seeking much needed improvements in staffing levels to ensure nurses have more time to spend with patients as well as an increase in their salary to keep them competitive with other Boston hospitals (Tufts nurses are the lowest paid nurses in the city) and to preserve and enhance their pension benefit (which is also the worst in the city).   

“Instead of caring for our patients, the nurses of this hospital will be out on the strike line tomorrow to demonstrate our resolve and our commitment to fight for what is best for our patients and our professional practice,” said Barbara Tiller, union co-chair and an IV/PICC/CRN nurse. “We have been trying for months to convince Tufts management that our patients and nurses are suffering because they refuse to provide us with the resources, appropriate patient assignments, and the compensation we need to ensure quality patient care. We will be on the street tomorrow, Tufts nurses will not back down.”

RN Public Schedule for Tuesday-Thursday

7 a.m. Wednesday, July 12: One-day strike begins. Nurses and supporters will gather outside the main entrance of the hospital at 800 Washington St. in Boston. Picketing will begin and continue through the duration of the 24-hour strike.

12 p.m. and 5 p.m. Wednesday, July 12: Rallies outside the hospital at 800 Washington St. in Boston with nurses, staff, community supporters, and local leaders.

6:59 a.m. Thursday, July 13: One-day RN strike ends. Nurses will gather outside the hospital at 800 Washington St. in Boston and those scheduled to work plan to enter Tufts to care for their patients. The hospital has threatened to lock out nurses for four days.

The Truth about Tufts Strike Replacement Nurses

During the planned 24-hour strike by Tufts nurses, TMC management plans to bring in mercenary replacement nurses from all over the country who do not know the hospital, are not highly specialized like the Tufts nurses, and who the Massachusetts Nurses Association believes will endanger patient care.

History, academic studies and unionized registered nurses can all testify to the fact that mercenary replacement nurses cannot make up for the temporary loss of nurses who are specialized in their fields and knowledgeable of their patients and the hospital systems. A 2010 study by the National Bureau of Economic Research concluded, “Hiring replacement workers apparently does not help: hospitals that hired replacement workers performed no better during strikes than those that did not hire substitute employees.”

During the 2000 strike by the MNA nurses at St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester, three replacement nurses recruited by the same strike replacement nurse agency Tufts plans to use were fired after separate incidents in which they left a patient alone after surgery and also gave the wrong baby to a nursing mother, according to news reports by the Worcester Telegram & Gazette and WCVB Channel 5. Another patient was given a nearly fatal overdose of morphine because a replacement nurse misunderstood a doctor’s order, according to Channel 5.

“It can take several weeks to train even an experienced nurse to provide quality care under normal conditions in a new hospital setting,” said Havlicek Cornacchia. “How can they possibly expect to safely operate this hospital with nurses drawn from all parts of the country who have no experience with our facility? It is irresponsible. Instead of issuing ultimatums and spending millions of dollars to ignore us, they should have listened to us and offered a fair settlement.”

Key Issues in Dispute

The nurses’ key issues in these talks continue to be:

·       The need for improved nurse staffing with safer patient assignments for nurses throughout the hospital

·       The need for more IV nurses and clinical resource nurses

·       The need to have charge nurses who are free of patient assignments at the start of all shifts, in all units. A charge nurse is an RN who is responsible for managing all aspects of nursing responsibilities during each shift, from processing patients in and out to delegating nursing rounds. Being free of an initial patient assignment will allow Tufts’ charge nurses to provide desperately needed support to patients and nurses at the busiest time (i.e., change of shift)

·       The need for wage improvements that will make the hospital market competitive, thereby improving nurse recruitment and retention

·       The need for pension protections/improvements that will make the hospital market competitive

 Concerns over Safe Staffing and Safe Patient Care

In the current environment at Tufts, nurses across all units and floors are contending with unsafe staffing situations on a daily basis, with many units reporting constant unsafe staffing levels. The result is too many RNs are regularly carrying patient assignments that are too large and unsafe. Every day, the hospital sends RNs blast-text messages asking them to pick up shifts that are open due to the bare-bones approach management uses to staff the hospital.

Simultaneously, hospital management insists on using a fragmented and broken system of temporary reassignment as a way of trying to deal with its chronic staffing challenges. This results in RNs being directed to work on units and floors where they are unfamiliar and/or untrained to safely care for patients. In addition, there are not enough specialty nurses to help with patients’ IV needs or in an emergency.

“We have offered a variety of proposals — and amended proposals, and doubly amended proposals — that would address staffing,” said Tiller. “But management’s responses have been so inadequate that they don’t get to the heart of the problem. They insist on offering us staffing proposals that are disjointed and superficial. What we need from them is simple: more full-time RNs and specialty nurses, and charge nurses without an initial patient assignment. That’s what will keep our patients safe.”

Market Competitive Compensation

In addition to having some of the worst staffing conditions in Boston, Tufts Medical Center has also become the hospital that offers its nurses the lowest wages and retirement benefits in the city. “The hospital’s proposals have not adequately addressed these issues,” said Havlicek Cornacchia. “Without market competitive wages and benefits, Tufts cannot recruit and retain the nurses it needs, and the staffing problem spirals downward.”

Management has also proposed freezing the defined benefit pension plan for approximately 350 RNs and instituting a divisive, inequitable, and complex catchup mechanism as part of a proposed higher-risk 403(b) matching program. That change would result in significant losses in retirement funding for most nurses. Meanwhile, RNs already in the defined contribution plan would continue to receive the lowest employer contribution of all nurses in the city.

The nurses have countered with an innovative proposal that would benefit all RNs while still saving the hospital millions of dollars annually. This proposed plan, which is a multi-employer defined benefit pension plan, would add as much as $11 million to Tufts’ bottom line, would eliminate more than $85 million in pension liability. Management has refused to engage in any real talks on this issue.

“The pay and retirement benefits at Tufts just aren’t competitive,” said Tiller. “We know it, Tufts knows it, and the other hospitals in the city know it. As a result, we’ve become the nurse training ground for all the other facilities. New graduates come here, they get their experience, and they move on. This cycle won’t stop until the hospital makes us competitive. And in the meantime, our patients suffer.”

MAYOR WALSH RELEASES PERFORMING ARTS FACILITIES ASSESSMENT FOR PUBLIC COMMENT

MAYOR WALSH RELEASES PERFORMING ARTS FACILITIES ASSESSMENT FOR PUBLIC COMMENT

BOSTON - Wednesday, July 12, 2017 - Mayor Martin J. Walsh and the Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA) today released a draft Performing Arts Facilities Assessment that aims to understand the current and anticipated venue challenges of local performing arts organizations in Boston. The release of the draft kicks off a 30 day comment period and the public is encouraged to review the assessment and submit feedback on bostonplans.org. The BPDA commissioned the assessment in response to a strategy in the City's Boston Creates plan, which states that the City of Boston must support the availability, affordability and sustainability of cultural spaces and facilities for arts and cultural organizations of all sizes in Boston. "In Boston it's our goal to harness our City's innovation and creativity to build a better, healthier and more thriving City that continues to lift up all our residents," said Mayor Walsh. "Through this assessment, we have collaborated with residents and stakeholders throughout Boston and the entire region to pinpoint what resources exist, and what resources are needed to support artists. I look forward to continued feedback from our residents as we work to finalize this assessment and determine next steps." TDC, a nonprofit management consulting and research firm, was engaged to conduct the study in partnership with the BPDA and the Mayor's Office. The study was guided by three questions: 1.  What is the supply of spaces that serve the performing arts in Greater Boston? 2.  What is the demand for spaces that serve the performing arts in Greater Boston? 3.  How well do supply and demand align? Researchers spoke to individuals from across the arts and related fields, including leaders of large producing organizations, artists creating one-person shows, managers of venues for global corporations, volunteers at community centers, and those who support the sector through advocacy, providing services, philanthropy, and setting policy. The assessment revealed the following conclusions: There is excess supply. Certain types and sizes of performing arts spaces have availability for rehearsals and/or performances. There is unmet demand. Many artists and arts organizations are searching for additional or different rehearsal and/or performance spaces. The need for rehearsal space is particularly high. Excess supply and unmet demand do not align due to issues of appropriateness, price, and location of available spaces. Because users cannot pay the full operating or capital costs of facilities, the market requires subsidy to adequately support facilities. Economic realities for both space users and space providers prevent them from finding a pricing "sweet spot" absent significant and ongoing additional support to run, maintain, and update facilities. The assessment identifies potential solutions that would require a new approach to how facilities are financially supported, operated, and managed in Boston and the creation of new tools for: Enhancing partnerships between developers, the City, and the local arts community. Stimulating new sources of funding in the philanthropic community. Developing funding mechanisms that provide ongoing support to increase access to spaces and ensure they are adequately maintained. Ensuring that any new spaces are operated effectively with incentive structures that elevate the needs of the local performing arts community. A final report will be issued following the 30 day public comment period. "I think this report and the detailed research that went into it is of great value to the City and the arts community," Gary Dunning, President & Executive Director of Celebrity Series. "I commend the Mayor's Office for committing the time and effort to conduct this assessment. Hopefully, it will encourage continued dialogue and eventual actions that will provide more and better facilities for the performing arts, which will strengthen and enhance Boston's standing as a cultural capital." Boston's Performing Arts Facilities Assessment is part of Boston Creates, a year-long community engagement effort designed to help local government identify cultural needs, opportunities, and resources and to prioritize, coordinate, and align public and private resources to strengthen cultural vitality over the long term. The full cultural plan can be found online at plan.bostoncreates.org. Since the launch of Boston Creates in 2016, Mayor Walsh has committed to leading the implementation of the plan by building City resources for arts and culture and creating the necessary partnerships to address the critical needs identified through the planning process. A full list of Boston Creates plan achievements to date can be found here. Boston Creates, and the Performing Arts Facilities Assessment, are part of the Walsh Administration's commitment to planning a thriving, inclusive Boston for every resident. On Tuesday, Mayor Walsh launched Imagine Boston 2030, the first citywide plan in over 50 years. Imagine Boston 2030 prioritizes inclusionary growth and puts forth a comprehensive vision to boost quality of life, equity and resilience in every neighborhood across the City.

麻州房屋法庭轄區將擴及摩頓市

State Housing Court Jurisdiction Extended to Malden

MALDEN – For the first time since its inception, the state housing court’s jurisdiction will be expanded to cover Malden, Representative Steve Ultrino (D – Malden) announced today. Approximately 69% of Massachusetts residents currently have access to a housing court, but Malden and 83 other communities do not.

“So much depends on a person’s housing: their community, their child’s education, their health, and even their employment,” said Representative Steve Ultrino. “By expanding access to housing courts, we can address housing instability and help landlords and tenants resolve disputes fairly, equitably, and affordably.”

Representative Ultrino has been advocating for the housing court to be expanded to Malden since he first took office in 2015. He has supported budget amendments and submitted testimony in support of the housing court expansion, working closely with the effort’s lead sponsor, Representative Chris Walsh (D – Framingham).

Housing courts connect both landlords and tenants with judges, attorneys, and agencies with expertise in navigating federal, state, and local laws on housing. Housing courts respond quickly and efficiently to code violations, protecting a building’s tenants from unsatisfactory housing conditions. Furthermore, housing courts serve the most vulnerable by helping low-income, elderly, immigrant, and disabled residents find and retain housing. They are specially equipped with court staff who can advise tenants and landlords on housing matters, saving money and ensuring access to justice by helping those without legal representation.

The state housing court, which began at Boston Housing Court in 1971, has grown slowly to cover 80% of the state geographically. However, one-third of the state’s population, including in Malden and much of Middlesex County, is not connected with a housing court.

“One of the most common constituent concerns I hear about is housing,” said Representative Ultrino. “We have a great need for housing court services in Malden, and I’m glad that our community will finally have full access to this important part of our justice system.”