Nurses prepare for largest open-ended strike in MA history as they work to negotiate a fair contract that helps ensure safe patient care

BOSTON, Nov. 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Registered nurses at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA), have scheduled an open-ended strike beginning on November 12 at 7 a.m. after voting to reject Mass General Brigham’s “last, best, and final” offer as they seek a fair contract that protects patient care and values the expertise of Brigham nurses.

The elected nurses of the Brigham MNA Bargaining Committee, representing more than 4,000 Brigham nurses, issued a 10-day strike notice on Sunday, November 1. The nurses will return to negotiations with MGB on November 9, with a focus on securing a fair contract that meets the needs of the nurses, their patients, and the community members they serve and who have rallied with nurses throughout this fight.

“We are ready to strike but are equally prepared to negotiate a fair contract that protects patient care, respects nurses, and averts the strike,” said Kelly Morgan, RN, a labor and delivery nurse and Chair of the BWH MNA Bargaining Committee. “Brigham nurses are resolved to fight for as long as it takes for patient safety and the professional respect we deserve.”

Nurses are seeking as part of a fair contract:

• Limits on temporary nurses to ensure continuity of patient care and push back against MGB’s anti-union corporate strategies that are undermining care quality.
• A float differential that helps limit nurses from having to move from patient assignment to patient assignment, disrupting care continuity.
• Insurance choice that ensures access to care for all of us who provide care.
• Brigham nurses deserve a wage scale that is competitive for new and experienced nurses and helps with the recruitment and retention that the hospital needs to provide world-class nursing care.

As part of a democratic union process, Brigham nurses reviewed MGB’s “last, best, and final” offer, attended membership meetings, and extensively discussed the offer before voting to reject the offer on October 23. As this process continues, the nurses recognize and appreciate the tremendous solidarity and support they have received from patients, community members, unions, and elected officials and will be buoyed by that continued support as they strive to reach an agreement for the good of all concerned. 

“MGB can and should reach an agreement that benefits the communities it serves and protects the patient care Brigham nurses provide every day,” said Jim McCarthy, RN, a PACU nurse and Vice Chair of the BWH MNA Bargaining Committee. “Brigham nurses are committed to holding MGB accountable. We question why this non-profit healthcare organization would pour millions into another strike instead of investing in patient care.”

Nurses Fight to Hold MGB Accountable

Brigham nurses and their growing coalition of supporters have expressed deep concerns about MGB’s corporate greed and its responsibility to the public as a non-profit healthcare system. Brigham nurses and their MNA colleagues throughout the MGB system will continue pressing for scrutiny of MGB’s monopolistic practices and market power, wealth, and potential conflicts involving its Board of Directors. Read the related MNA report on these issues.

The Boston Globe reported on October 6 that a national law firm hired by the MNA had submitted a letter to the Massachusetts Attorney General calling for an investigation into MGB’s non-profit status due to potential conflicts of interest among its board members and its excessive CEO compensation.

“MNA requests an assessment of whether the identified conduct is consistent with MGB’s

obligations as a public charity and whether corrective action is necessary,” the letter states. “The seriousness of the potential consequences makes a documented investigation particularly important before conclusions about charitable or tax-exempt status are reached.”

MGB, which was recently reported to be the most profitable hospital system in the Commonwealth, is posting profits of more than $2.3 billion while also continuing its empire building across the state, purchasing and constructing buildings while failing to invest in the expert nurses and staff who make that care possible and viable. On October 1, MGB signed a 100,000-square-foot lease in Somerville to consolidate its pathology services. MGB is also spending nearly $2 billion on expansion at Mass General Hospital, along with additional infrastructure investments throughout the system.

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Founded in 1903, the Massachusetts Nurses Association is the largest union of registered nurses in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Its 26,000 members advance the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting the economic and general welfare of nurses in the workplace, projecting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and by lobbying the Legislature and regulatory agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and the public.

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SOURCE Massachusetts Nurses Association