I have been in favor of unions since I was a child and heard my father talk about the benefits of his union. I have been a union member of teachers’ unions in NYC, Boston and Northampton. My son is a doctor and has always spoken very highly of nurses, and I share his opinion. But I am voting “no” on Question 1.
I think the proposition is an excellent one and long overdue, but I think the implementation is too abrupt to work well for nurses, patients and hospitals. I would prefer if the implementation took three years. During the time of implementation, I would like to see potential nurses given full scholarships from the state, the AMA and hospitals. Also, doctors who earn more than they need to live comfortably could set up scholarship funds for this purpose. If the money comes from our state, we could ask for a commitment to practice nursing in Massachusetts for at least the same amount of time the scholarship recipient received the funds.
Phyllis Martz
Amherst