American Federation of Teachers Stands with UVM Medical Center Nurses

PITTSBURGH—AFT President Randi Weingarten issued the following statement of support today, as the union began its biennial convention in Pittsburgh, and members of its Vermont Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals went on strike at the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington, Vt.:

“If I wasn’t here at convention, I’d be walking that picket line with our members, and the entire convention will be joining them virtually tomorrow. The nurses have gone to the table in good faith, but hospital management has bullied them, denying both its staff and its patients the care, safety and respect they deserve. UVM nurses care for the Burlington community—they are simply asking for comparable wages with other hospitals in the area, and safe staffing levels for themselves and their patients. That’s why they are on strike. We are 100 percent with them, as is the entire community of Burlington. It’s time for UVM to come back to the table and negotiate the contract these health professionals deserve.”