Latest effort to end nurses’ strike ends with no settlement

WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) — The latest effort to resolve a five-month-long strike by nurses at a Massachusetts hospital has ended without a settlement. Management at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Worcester on Thursday presented what they called their “last, best and final” offer, which was promptly criticized by the nurses represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association as an unsatisfactory ultimatum. Hundreds of nurses went on strike March 8 to demand better staff-to-patient ratios, which they say are critical for patient safety. But the hospital, owned by Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare, says staffing levels are in line with industry standards. Management has proposed better staffing in some units.