Berkshire VNA Nurses Petition for Contract to Retain Veteran Staff
PITTSFIELD, Mass. – October 29, 2026 -- Nurses and healthcare professionals at Berkshire Visiting Nurse Association (BVNA) delivered a petition to management at 4 p.m. Monday, demanding a contract that retains experienced clinicians, after the bargaining unit shrank by approximately half over the past several years.
The Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA) represents the clinicians. The two sides next meet for bargaining on October 28.
Management has moved on early-career wages, but veteran pay remains open
The union acknowledges progress on wages for nurses and healthcare professionals early in their careers, a step aimed at attracting new hires. Tamaryn Clowdus, a physical therapist and Co-Chair of the MNA Bargaining Committee at BVNA, said the unit also needs reasonable cost-of-living increases for clinicians who stayed through difficult years, calling for a focus on "both recruitment and retention."