CANTON, Mass. — More than 4,000 nurses at Brigham and Women’s Hospital are prepared to walk off the job as the Massachusetts Nurses Association and Mass General Brigham still have yet to reach a deal.
The two sides continued bargaining late Wednesday night at the Massachusetts Nurses Association headquarters in Canton as the clock ticked toward a potential Thursday strike.
The contract dispute is the same one that led nurses at the hospital to walk off the job in July during a one-day strike that turned into a four-day lockout. Nurses are still seeking better benefits and wage increases, while the union has said its focus is getting its benefit and pay priorities written into contractual language.
Under the hospital’s latest proposal for a two-year contract, a graduate nurse, a mid-level staff nurse and an experienced registered nurse would see wage increases between 5% and 10%, depending on title.
Brigham and Women’s said it is fully prepared to use nursing agencies to continue caring for patients if a deal is not reached by Thursday. The hospital also said its nurses are among the highest paid locally, statewide and nationally.
The uncertainty is weighing on patients and their families.
Eleanor, a hospital patient, travels from Weymouth every week for physical therapy at Brigham and Women’s and worries about how a strike could affect an upcoming appointment.
“I hate to think as a patient I’m going to be impacted by this because my health is important and I get my health taken care of here,” Eleanor said.
“I understand where people have to strike to get what they want if no one is meeting their demands. I’m, like, torn,” Eleanor said.
Eleanor also expressed concern about encountering a picket line.
“You never know what people are going to do on a picket line. They get mad, they push and shove, they try to keep you out,” Eleanor said.
Loved ones of other patients also expressed concern this week as the potential strike loomed.
The strike would begin at 7 am Thursday if a deal isn’t reached, the union said.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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