More than 4,000 nurses at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston plan to go on strike at 7 a.m. on Thursday, November 12, with no end date, unless they reach a contract deal with the hospital first. It would be the largest open-ended nursing strike in Massachusetts history. Negotiators for the nurses and Mass General Brigham, the health system that owns the Brigham, are scheduled to meet again on Monday, November 9, with a federal mediator.
The Massachusetts Nurses Association, the nurses’ union, issued a 10-day strike notice on Sunday, November 1. For Chelsea residents, the key point is that the walkout covers the Brigham alone. Chelsea’s own Mass General Brigham health center on Everett Avenue and Massachusetts General Hospital are not part of it. But Chelsea patients who see Brigham doctors, and families who rely on Mass General Brigham’s home care nurses, should plan ahead.
The Brigham nurses strike at a glance
- When: 7 a.m. Thursday, November 12, open-ended.
- Who: More than 4,000 registered nurses at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association.
- Last chance to settle: Bargaining resumes Monday, November 9. It will be the 28th session, according to Boston.com.
- Not included: Massachusetts General Hospital and the MGH Chelsea Community Healthcare Center.
- Hospital’s position: Mass General Brigham says it is “prepared to continue providing safe, high-quality care throughout any work stoppage.”
What Chelsea patients should do
- If you have a Brigham appointment, test or surgery on or after November 12, confirm it with your care team or through Patient Gateway before you go. Neither the hospital nor the union has said publicly whether scheduled care will be postponed.
- Your Chelsea primary care is not affected by this notice. The MGH Chelsea Community Healthcare Center, 151 Everett Avenue, offers primary and urgent care. Its main number is 617-884-8300.
- In an emergency, call 911. A nearby 24-hour emergency department outside the Mass General Brigham system is at CHA Everett Hospital; the emergency entrance is at 62 Lawrence Street, Everett. Cambridge Health Alliance says the hospital serves people from Chelsea, Everett, Malden, Medford and Revere.
- If you get home care from Mass General Brigham, ask the agency whether your visits will continue. Its nurses and therapists are in a separate contract fight (see below).
- If you have a concern about care during the strike, the state asks patients to raise it first with the hospital’s patient advocate or management. The Department of Public Health’s 24-hour consumer complaint line is (800) 462-5540 or (617) 753-8150, and written complaints can be filed on the state’s patient complaint form.
How the Brigham plans to keep running during the strike
Before the strike the nurses first set for October 14 and later postponed, the Brigham told the Boston Globe it would bring in 1,600 to 2,000 temporary nurses, most of them from Colorado-based U.S. Nursing, with an average of eight to 10 years of experience. Some signed on for two weeks; others agreed to stay as long as a strike lasts.
Dr. Paul Biddinger said then that the hospital would briefly pause new admissions starting at 5 a.m. on the morning of a strike so nursing teams could change over, and that “in most cases, patient care will continue as normal.” State Department of Public Health inspectors would be at the hospital every day. The hospital has not said publicly whether the same plan applies on November 12.
Nurses have questioned that approach. “I don’t want to leave their care to somebody who is not going to necessarily know what to do for them,” Brigham nurse Michele Hassler told the Globe in October.
What the nurses and Mass General Brigham are fighting about
The nurses rejected what the hospital called its “last, best, and final” offer on October 23, about 11 months into negotiations. That offer would have run until September 2028. In September, nurses had voted 2,986 to 215 to authorize an open-ended strike.
- Raises. The union sought an across-the-board raise of 3 percent for the first six months of the contract and 4 percent for the next 12 months, according to the Globe. Nurses say they need it because of inflation and Greater Boston’s cost of living. The hospital’s offer had no across-the-board raise. It points to the 5 percent step increase nurses receive each year until they reach 20 years of service, and it offered two 2.5 percent raises to the most senior nurses at the top of the scale.
- Pay levels. Brigham nurses start at $86,700 a year. The hospital says 1,322 nurses, nearly a third of the union, are at the top step and earn at least $220,000, among the highest nursing salaries in the state.
- Health insurance. The union wants “insurance choice” for nurses. Mass General Brigham says the remaining issues are “compensation and benefits, including wages and health insurance.”
- Temporary nurses. The union wants limits on temporary nurses “to ensure continuity of patient care” and limits on moving nurses between assignments.
- Safety. Mass General Brigham says “no patient or workplace safety proposals remain unresolved.” The union frames its demands as a fight for patient safety.
- The system’s finances. Mass General Brigham has said it is running more than $300 million behind budget, with an operating margin of 0.3 percent against a goal of 1.5 percent.
“We are ready to strike but are equally prepared to negotiate a fair contract that protects patient care,” said Kelly Morgan, a nurse who chairs the Brigham bargaining committee. Jim McCarthy, the vice chair, said Mass General Brigham “can and should reach an agreement that benefits the communities it serves.”
The hospital said after the October vote that it was disappointed, and that “our priority and focus remain on providing safe, high-quality patient care.”
Why the union had to give 10 days’ notice
Federal labor law treats hospitals differently from other workplaces. Section 8(g) of the National Labor Relations Act requires a union to notify a health care institution and the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service in writing at least 10 days before any strike or picketing, and the notice must state the date and time the action will start. The notice can be extended if both sides agree in writing.
Mass General Brigham home care: a separate dispute with a Chelsea office
About 450 Mass General Brigham Home Care nurses, physical and occupational therapists, speech therapists, social workers and dietitians are also represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association and are bargaining for their first contract. They care for patients at home after hospital stays and surgeries. One of the five sites the union picketed on the first day of their strike in July was the home care office at 70 Everett Avenue in Chelsea.
They held a seven-day strike from July 8 to July 14. During that strike, Mass General Brigham said it brought in temporary clinicians and triaged patients so those with the most acute needs kept receiving care, and some services, including dietitian and speech therapy visits, were paused. The home care workers are not part of the November 12 notice, and the latest union statements found for this story describe no contract yet.
The July walkout
The Brigham nurses held a one-day strike on July 8. The hospital then kept them out for four more days, saying its contract with replacement nurses guaranteed five days of work. The hospital used 1,300 replacement nurses and said the changeover went “smoothly and successfully.” The nurses returned on Monday, July 13.
Timeline
- July 8: One-day strike by Brigham nurses; MGB Home Care clinicians begin a seven-day strike.
- July 13: Brigham nurses return after a four-day lockout.
- September 24: Nurses vote 2,986 to 215 to authorize an open-ended strike, first set for October 14.
- October 23: Nurses reject the hospital’s “last, best, and final” offer.
- November 1: Union issues a 10-day notice for a strike starting November 12.
- November 9: Talks resume with a federal mediator.
- November 12, 7 a.m.: Strike begins if there is no deal.
Frequently asked questions
Is Mass General Hospital on strike? No. The November 12 notice covers Brigham and Women’s Hospital nurses only.
Is the MGH Chelsea health center open? Yes. The MGH Chelsea Community Healthcare Center at 151 Everett Avenue is not part of the strike notice.
Will the Brigham emergency room stay open? The hospital says it is prepared to keep providing care during any work stoppage but has not published separate guidance for its emergency department. In an emergency, call 911.
Will my Brigham appointment be canceled? The hospital has not announced cancellations. Call your care team or check Patient Gateway before November 12.
How long will the strike last? It is open-ended. It ends when the two sides reach an agreement or the union calls it off.
Can the strike still be avoided? Yes. A deal at or after the November 9 session would stop it.
We will update this story after the November 9 talks.