The Brigham and Women's Hospital nurses' bargaining committee meets hospital management today, Thursday, October 8, in a last-ditch effort to reach a contract and avert a historic open-ended strike planned for October 14, the Massachusetts Nurses Association announced.
The nurses, elected by their 4,000 colleagues, have been bargaining for more than a year over safe patient care and professional respect. In September, 93 per cent authorized an indefinite strike, and on October 2 the union filed the legally required 10-day strike notice. It would be the largest nurses' strike in Massachusetts history.
'Our focus is on ensuring Brigham and Women's Hospital patients receive the world-class care they need and advocating for the professional respect our nurses deserve,' said Kelly Morgan, a labor and delivery RN and chair of the bargaining committee. 'Our preference is to avert the strike by negotiating an agreement that meets the needs of our patients and nurses.'
The strike is an unfair labor practice strike: the union has filed four federal ULP charges against the hospital since July, including allegations of retaliation against nurses who joined a July walkout. Governor Maura Healey has urged both sides to reopen negotiations, and today's session is widely seen as the final real chance to keep nurses on the job next week.
