05/19/2026
Chelsea Firefighter Support Chelsea Nurses
The fact that the nursing staff at Chelsea Hospital is attempting to unionize should be enough to tell you there are systemic issues plaguing the hospital. What was once a proud community hospital known for taking care of its employees has become yet another example of corporate greed overtaking patient-centered care.
When the focus shifts from supporting employees to enriching the top 1%, it is not only workers who suffer, patients suffer as well.
I believe nurses deserve fair wages and fair treatment. But it becomes increasingly difficult to justify a system where the nurses, the people doing the work that actually generates revenue for the hospital, salaries cap out after 12 years, while executive compensation continues to rise year after year, bonuses included. According to publicly available nonprofit compensation records, Chelsea Hospital’s president earned $434,269 in 2024, along with an additional $108,057 in other compensation. Meanwhile, nurses continue to report being overworked, understaffed, and underpaid.
https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/824757260
Rather than listening to employees or negotiating a fair and equitable benefits package, hospital leadership appears more focused on anti-union messaging. Employees have reported seeing signs reading “Fresh Start with Sarah - Vote No,” while the hospital president has reportedly been seen wearing a “Vote No” shirt around the hospital.
It is difficult to take anti-union messaging seriously from leadership making hundreds of thousands of dollars annually while frontline staff struggle under increasing demands and staffing shortages. Nurses are being told to vote against collective bargaining because leadership does not want employees to gain a stronger voice in negotiations over wages, staffing, and benefits, negotiations that could potentially impact inflated executive compensation.
The nurses deserve the right to decide for themselves without intimidation, pressure, or performative anti-union campaigns. Let the nurses vote. Let them be heard. And stop the disgraceful charade.
Derek Klink
Union President
Chelsea Firefighters Local 1889
