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Brigham and Women's Nurses, Hospital Reach Tentative Contract Deal, Averting Indefinite Strike
A late-night tentative agreement between Brigham and Women's Hospital and its nurses' union has called off an indefinite strike that was set to begin Thursday morning, with roughly 4,000 nurses poised to walk off the job. The deal, which still requires ratification by the bargaining unit, addresses staffing, health insurance, and wage scale protections, according to the union.
A planned indefinite strike by about 4,000 nurses at Brigham and Women's Hospital was called off late Wednesday night after the hospital and the Massachusetts Nurses Association reached a tentative agreement on a new contract.
The strike had been scheduled to begin Thursday morning. The union announced the deal in a Facebook post at roughly 11:25 p.m. Wednesday.
"I'm incredibly proud of the Brigham nurses who stood strong to protect the world-class patient care we provide," said Kelly Morgan, chair of the bargaining committee, in a statement shared by the MNA. "We secured this agreement with the help of countless community members, patients, unions and elected officials who supported us for many months. By standing together, we protected patients and the future of union nursing care at the Brigham."
According to the union, the hospital addressed the nurses' central priorities, including protecting safe patient care, preserving affordable health insurance, and protecting the nurses' wage scale. The bargaining committee, composed of nurses elected by their colleagues, will recommend that Brigham nurses vote to ratify the agreement.
"We are pleased that Brigham and Women's Hospital has reached a tentative agreement with the Massachusetts Nurses Association and the MNA has called off its scheduled indefinite strike," the hospital said in a statement posted on Mass General Brigham's website. "Importantly, the agreement was reached within the financial limits of the hospital's last, best and final offer presented on Oct. 10. 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 also thanked nursing leaders, clinicians, and staff across Mass General Brigham for their work preparing to maintain care under any circumstance. Earlier, the hospital had said patient care remained its highest priority and that it would hire temporary nurses to fill gaps in the event of a strike.
The tentative agreement still must be ratified by nurses in the bargaining unit. The MNA has indicated it will support the deal.
The dispute had drawn attention from community members, patients, other unions, and elected officials, who rallied behind the nurses in the months leading up to the planned walkout. The agreement averts what would have been a major disruption at one of Boston's largest hospitals and a significant test of labor relations across the Mass General Brigham system.