09.24.2026
4,000 Brigham nurses are seeking a fair union contract that protects patient care, strengthens the permanent nursing workforce and provides affordable health insurance
BOSTON, Mass. – The 4,000 Registered nurses at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA), cast an overwhelming 93% vote on September 24 to authorize an open-ended strike if Mass General Brigham (MGB) continues to refuse to negotiate a fair contract that protects patient care and respects nurses.
The vote on Thursday was 2,986 to 215. More nurses voted yes to authorize this potential BWH strike than in any nurse strike authorization vote in Massachusetts history.
The vote authorized the nurses’ elected MNA bargaining committee to hold an indefinite strike if necessary. The committee has not set a strike date. Before a strike occurs, nurses will provide the legally required 10 days’ notice. If held, the strike would continue until Brigham nurses reach a contract agreement with the hospital. The vote also coincided with new information from the state showing that MGB is once again the most profitable hospital system in Massachusetts, with a total margin of $2.3 billion.
Brigham nurses held a one-day strike on July 8, followed by a four-day lockout imposed by MGB. Since then, MGB has refused to meaningfully negotiate. On August 11, MGB management said they would not continue meeting to bargain. MGB offered nurses a choice between pursuing a cost-of-living wage increase and discussing other outstanding patient care-related proposals. Nurses rejected that false choice and offered to discuss possible compromises. MGB refused.
“Brigham nurses have made clear that we are prepared to stay on strike for as long as it takes to win a contract that protects our patients and respects the nurses who care for them,” said Kelly Morgan, RN, a labor and delivery nurse and Chair of the BWH MNA Bargaining Committee. “An open-ended strike is a serious step that will undoubtedly create a healthcare crisis in Massachusetts. MGB can prevent the strike by returning to the table and negotiating the contract our nurses need to keep providing world-class care.”
“MGB cannot tell nurses to choose between the care our patients deserve, affordable health insurance, or fair cost-of-living wage increase,” said Jim McCarthy, RN, a PACU nurse and Vice Chair of the BWH MNA Bargaining Committee. “We have offered to negotiate and work toward an agreement, but CEO Anne Klibanski, who makes $9.2 million a year, and the billionaires on MGB’s Board of Directors, have refused to bargain. Our vote gives nurses the power to push back hard if the MGB billionaires keep putting corporate greed over safe patient care.”
Brigham Nurses Are Fighting For
- A strong permanent nursing workforce. Nurses are seeking limits on MGB’s reliance on temporary nurses to support continuity and quality of care for Brigham patients.
- Affordable health insurance and meaningful plan choice. MGB has proposed increasing nurses’ health insurance costs. Nurses want coverage they and their families can afford and choice between insurance plans.
- Fair compensation. Nurses are seeking a meaningful cost-of-living wage increase and a differential for nurses required to float among units.
- Economic data showing that from 2020 to 2024, the income needed to maintain a middle-class standard of living for family in Massachusetts jumped nearly 50 percent, according to the MassINC Policy Center.
- Inflation in Massachusetts has remained high since 2024, according to a recent report.
MGB Has Billions But Refuses to Agree to Fair Contracts
Mass General Brigham is the largest and wealthiest health system in New England. In fiscal year 2025, MGB reported:
- $22.8 billion in operating revenue.
- $2.39 billion in profits.
- $1.75 billion in investment income.
- $35.8 billion in total assets.
- Nearly $9.2 million in compensation for CEO Anne Klibanski, which is a 9% increase of approximately $800,000 in one year.
MGB’s Board of Directors includes billionaires, private equity executives and corporate CEOs, including individuals whose businesses intersect with the healthcare system. Read the MNA’s report on MGB’s wealth, power, and board conflicts. Should MGB be a non-profit?
- Scott Sperling, MGB Board Chair, is co-CEO of private equity giant THL Partners, which invests heavily in healthcare and technology.
- John Fish, Board Vice Chair, leads Suffolk Construction, which has received major MGB-related construction work, including MGB’s $465 million headquarters.
- Jonathan Kraft, Board Vice Chair, oversees the Kraft family’s multibillion-dollar business empire, including property at Patriot Place leased to MGB.
MGB’s enormous financial resources make clear that it can afford fair contracts that protect patients, maintain stable workforces and respect the professionals who deliver care.
Learn more at www.massnurses.org/MGB.
-###-
MassNurses.org │ Facebook.com/MassNurses │ Twitter.com/MassNurses │ Instagram.com/MassNurses
____________________________________________
Founded in 1903, the Massachusetts Nurses Association is the largest union of registered nurses in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Its 26,000 members advance the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting the economic and general welfare of nurses in the workplace, projecting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and by lobbying the Legislature and regulatory agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and the public.
###
MassNurses.org │ Facebook.com/MassNurses │ Twitter.com/MassNurses
#Brigham #Nurses #BrighamNurses #Strike #StrikeVote #Union #Boston
You must be logged in to post a comment.