Brigham and Women's nurses issue new strike notice after latest offer falls flat

More than 4,000 Brigham and Women’s nurses are again preparing to strike after rejecting the hospital’s latest offer in contract negotiations, the union said Sunday.

“We are ready to strike but are equally prepared to negotiate a fair contract that protects patient care, respects nurses, and averts the strike,” said Kelly Morgan, RN, a labor and delivery nurse and Chair of the BWH MNA Bargaining Committee. “Brigham nurses are resolved to fight for as long as it takes for patient safety and the professional respect we deserve.”

Negotiations are set to resume on Nov. 9 with a federal mediator. If no deal is reached, the open-ended strike will begin on Nov. 12 at 7 a.m., according to the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA).

The nurses were originally set to strike on Oct. 14, but that date was pushed back when Mass General Brigham issued the latest offer, which hospital officials called the “last, best and final.”

The nurses are pushing for better wages, more insurance options, changes to the way patient assignments are structured, and limits on how the hospital can bring in temporary nurses. They went on strike in July over the same issues.

The hospital shared a statement after the nurses rejected the offer expressing disappointment in the outcome and reiterating that “our priority and focus remain on providing safe, high-quality patient care.”

Mass General Brigham recently announced layoffs for the second time in two years as the health care system, which is the largest in Massachusetts, looks to shore up its long-term financial sustainability.