After a lengthy lockout following a four-day strike last month, nurses and technicians at Lawrence + Memorial Hospital in New London returned to work Thursday morning.
Almost four weeks ago, CEO Bruce Cummings was describing union workers as engaging in “stubborn and destructive antics” and said that they intended to stage intermittent strikes, which “should give the community some insight into who’s concerned with providing continuous health care and who’s interested in divisiveness and gamesmanship.”
Thursday morning, a lockout of employees ended and about 125 nurses and technicians returned to their jobs.
The two sides will continue to work under their previous contract will they continue negotiations. Negotiators for both sides met from 1 p.m. Saturday through 10 p.m. Sunday without going to a compromise.
The union initiated the strike because they claim management is moving jobs off the New London campus to outpatient facilities where patients are seen by less-qualified caregivers. The hospital has said that the union made unrealistic demands for the new agreement, including 100 percent job security and no layoffs.