L+M Nurses, Technicians Picket at Pequot Health Center

Striking nurses and technicians from Lawrence + Memorial Hospital that work at the Pequot Health Center in Groton stood on the side of the highway in a drenching rain holding picket signs as cars and passersby honked or shouted support.

Nurses Judy Stephens, Trisha Brewster, accompanied by her daughter Martha, Claire Houle and Jessica Sherry and others braved the nasty weather to demonstrate against alleged unfair labor practices by the hospital.

"The community is supportive," Brewster, an RN at Pequot, said.

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In a just-released statement, Connecticut Speaker of the House Brendan Sharkey voiced his backing of the striking workers.  

“Good faith negotiations between labor and management are the foundation of reaching a fair contract, but when one side – Lawrence & Memorial in this case - shuts down talks well before the understood deadline and threatens a lockout, the entire process has been compromised and patient health is threatened,” Speaker Sharkey said. 

“These bully-like tactics by the management of Lawrence & Memorial Hospital expose a lack of commitment to both of their missions: to serve their patients as well as to provide a fair labor contract for their employees. It is time for them to come back to the bargaining table.”