UMass, nurses press toward strike deadline

Hospital and union negotiators were working last night to avert a strike by 830 nurses scheduled to begin today at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester.

The two sides began meeting yesterday morning to discuss final proposals, under the supervision of a federal mediator.

The hospital says that to remain competitive it needs the Massachusetts Nurses Association to make concessions on pension, healthcare premiums, and wages. But the union has resisted throughout negotiations, which began last December.

The hospital has lined up 350 replacement workers, and officials said they have a security plan in place for the strike, which was tentatively scheduled to start at 6 a.m.

Administrators said they plan to operate the hospital as usual during a work stoppage.

Union officials said a picket line would be established immediately after the end of last night's overnight shift if a strike is called.

The union has opened a strike headquarters near the hospital and planned to stage a rally last night.

Christopher Rowland can be reached at crowland@globe.com.