A western Massachusetts hospital has locked out its nurses for three days. The lockout at Baystate Franklin Medical Center in Greenfield began at 7 p.m. Sunday. It is scheduled to end 7 p.m. Wednesday.
The hospital has hired temporary nurses.
A hospital spokeswoman says management locked out staff nurses for three days because the hospital is required to guarantee the temporary nurses three days of work.
The lockout started ahead of a planned one-day strike Monday by the 90-bed hospital's roughly 200 staff nurses, who have been in a labor dispute with management since the fall.
Baystate Franklin's nurses say the hospital is understaffed and they are overworked, putting patient safety at risk. The sides are also at odds over health insurance costs and time off.
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