Brigham and Women's Hospital Nurses Avert Strike With Tentative Contract Agreement

Brigham and Women’s Hospital registered nurses and Mass General Brigham management reached a tentative contract agreement late Wednesday, averting a historic open-ended strike scheduled to begin Thursday morning.

The deal came together during a final meeting on Wednesday following 11 months of tense negotiations, the Massachusetts Nurses Association reported. Without the agreement, more than 4,000 unionized nurses were prepared to walk off the job at 7 a.m., while the hospital prepared to onboard more than 800 temporary nurses, Boston.com reported. The negotiations included 28 bargaining sessions and a monthlong back-and-forth over wages, following an unsuccessful 15-hour bargaining session on Monday.

The tentative agreement addresses key union priorities by limiting the hospital’s reliance on temporary staffing and floating. The hospital committed to posting 20 new 36-hour float pool nurse positions, tracking floating patterns, and launching a joint Staffing and Resources Committee to review temporary staff usage.

The agreement also includes contract language stating that the hospital does not intend to replace permanent Brigham nurses with temporary nurses, requires the hospital to provide a rationale whenever more than 15% of full-time equivalent positions in any hospital unit or cost center are covered by temporary nurses, and guarantees charge nurses and nurses-in-charge a less acute patient assignment or no patient assignment to help coordinate care.

Agreement reached to avert nurses strike at Brigham and Women's Hospital — CBS Boston

Wage disagreements had served as a central dividing point throughout the protracted talks, with the union fighting for across-the-board wage increases while the hospital offered raises to the top step.

“I’m incredibly proud of the Brigham nurses who stood strong to protect the world-class patient care we provide,” Kelly Morgan, RN, a labor and delivery nurse and Chair of the BWH MNA Bargaining Committee, told the Massachusetts Nurses Association.

Brigham and Women’s Hospital said that it is pleased an agreement was reached to call off the strike. The hospital said that the final terms were achieved within the financial boundaries of its October 10 proposal, Boston.com reported.

“We deeply value our Brigham nurses and believe this agreement recognizes their important contributions while supporting the long-term sustainability of our hospital and our ability to care for our patients and communities,” the hospital wrote in a statement reported by Boston.com.

“Every day, Brigham nurses provide extraordinary care to patients and families facing some of the most challenging moments of their lives,” Jim McCarthy, a nurse and vice chair of the BWH MNA Bargaining Committee, said.

The path to the tentative agreement involved months of escalations, including a one-day strike on July 8 followed by a four-day lockout enforced by the hospital, which cited contracts with temporary nurses requiring replacement workers to be on the job for five days.

Nurses subsequently voted overwhelmingly on September 24 by 2,986 to 215 to authorize an open-ended strike, issued formal notice on October 2 for a strike beginning October 14, and rejected management’s final offer on October 22 and 23 before returning to the bargaining table.

The tentative contract will only take effect if ratified by the union membership. The BWH MNA Bargaining Committee is recommending that nurses vote to approve the agreement.