09/02/2025
The registered nurses at the Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) of Cape Cod, represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA), have voted overwhelmingly to authorize a possible three-day strike as negotiations with Cape Cod Healthcare (CCHC) continue to stall. 96% of voting members voted in favor of the authorization.
The bargaining unit comprises 54 registered nurses, who have been in negotiations with management since March, with their next session scheduled for September 3.
The authorization does not mean members will automatically strike. It gives union leadership the ability to call a three-day strike if necessary. Should that happen, the union would provide Cape Cod Healthcare with the legally required ten days’ notice.
At the heart of the dispute are management’s failures to recruit and retain staff due to low wages and weak contract protections. Nearly one-third of the VNA staff are traveling nurses — an expensive, unstable practice that disrupts patient care. CCHC spends hundreds of thousands of dollars monthly on travel staff, yet has refused to propose measures to strengthen the permanent workforce while simultaneously rejecting almost all of the members’ proposals, such as:
-- Wages on par with those found throughout the CCHC system, which will resolve the VNA’s ongoing recruitment/retention problems.
-- Improved patient assignments that reflect in-home care realities.
-- Contract language that addresses Cape-specific challenges, including long travel distances, seasonal surges, and added responsibilities outside patients’ homes.
“This contract negotiation is vital because competitive wages and fair working conditions are essential to recruiting and retaining qualified nurses,” said Diane Munsell, RN, and case manager. “Appropriate staffing means our patients will receive consistent, high-quality care, and our nurses will feel supported and valued.”
“I’ve been at the bargaining table this time since March, and through several prior negotiations,” said Alison Young, BSN, RN, CRRN. “Our permanent staff continues to dwindle, forcing the agency to rely on costly short-term travel nurses. This drains resources and disrupts patient care.” Young added that low salaries continue to be a significant barrier to recruitment and retention.
The Stakes for Patients and Families:
Hospitals increasingly shift patients into at-home care, reducing costs but expanding the size and complexity of the population served by visiting nurses. Yet staffing and working conditions have not kept pace.
When the MNA first began representing the VNA over 12 years ago, the unit had nearly 100 members. Today, staffing has dropped to 54 nurses, resulting in heavier caseloads, frequent patient assignment changes, and an overreliance on travelers. This disrupts continuity of care, frustrates patients and families, and fuels staff burnout.
A fully staffed VNA would enable consistent patient assignments, allowing families to build trust with their care team while ensuring nurses can provide thorough, compassionate care without unsustainable workloads.
Next Steps:
The union remains committed to negotiating a fair contract that supports both caregivers and patients. Unless Cape Cod Healthcare addresses the staffing crisis and agrees to competitive wages and fair conditions, the union is prepared to strike to protect patient care and the VNA’s future.
“This contract fight is critical to bringing fair, market-based wages and a competitive benefits package to our nurses,” said Mike Barry, RN and bargaining unit co-chairperson. “With fair wages and benefits, we could retain staff, attract top-notch applicants, and provide the consistent, high-quality care that Cape patients deserve.”
The MNA offers a variety of nursing timely, relevant courses on a broad range of practice issues to accommodate our membership. MNA members receive discounts on course registration fees.
