MGB prepares for nurses, home care clinicians to begin strike on July 8

Key Points:

• Approximately 4,500 nurses and clinicians represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association are set to strike starting Wednesday at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Mass General Brigham Home Care, with nurses planning a one-day strike and home care clinicians a seven-day strike unless new labor agreements are reached.
• The union cites stalled negotiations over economic issues including wage increases, affordable health insurance, and investment in permanent staff, while the hospital system maintains that all remaining disputes are economic, not related to patient or workplace safety, and asserts that Brigham nurses are among the highest paid in the market.
• Mass General Brigham has prepared contingency plans, including hiring temporary qualified nurses and clinicians, to maintain patient care during the strike and expects operations at the main hospital and ambulatory locations to continue largely as normal despite potential disruptions from picketing.
• The strike is poised to be the largest nursing strike in Massachusetts history, with the hospital warning of a possible five-day lockout of nurses beyond the planned one-day strike and advising patients to keep appointments unless directly contacted about changes.
• Home Care clinicians, negotiating their first union contract, seek caseload limits, transparent productivity standards, and higher wages, while the hospital reports having reached over 20 tentative agreements with this group and plans to communicate any appointment changes directly to affected patients.