Brigham nurses strike postponed as Boston hospital makes "final offer"

The Brigham & Women's Hospital nurses union has postponed plans for what was set to be the largest open-ended nurse strike in Massachusetts history.

About 4,000 registered nurses were getting ready to walk off the job Wednesday amid a contract dispute with Mass General Brigham. But on Saturday night, the Boston healthcare system made its "best and final offer," and the union decided to put the strike on hold so its members can vote on the proposed contract.

"As a democratic organization, given the complexity of the agreement and the impact of a potential strike on our nurses and the community, the Brigham Nurses' MNA Committee has decided to postpone the strike to allow the 4,000 Brigham nurses to vote on this offer," the Massachusetts Nurses Association said in a statement. "Brigham nurses will decide our next steps."  

Both sides had been battling for months over wages and health insurance costs. The union says Mass General Brigham wants nurses to agree to a multiyear pay freeze.

"Nurses have spent countless hours negotiating and making compromises to find a path forward," the union said. "Yet MGB continues to refuse to provide cost of living wage increases, a strategy we believe is intended to break our union, putting patients and the community at risk."

The Brigham, however, says its nurses are already among the highest-paid locally and nationwide, and says nurses will still be getting annual raises as they progress through their wage scale.

"During our 27th bargaining session with the MNA, the hospital made significant movement on several of the union's priorities and presented its last, best and final offer in an effort to reach agreement," the Brigham said in a statement. "The hospital believes its final proposal reflects the value our nurses bring to patient care while balancing our responsibility to patients, our workforce, and the long-term strength of the hospital."

While a strike is still not off the table, the hospital said the union would need to give a new 10-day notice before a strike could occur. 

In July, Brigham nurses went on a one-day strike but the hospital locked them out for four additional days due to contract obligations for temporary workers. It was the largest healthcare strike in state history, but an open-ended strike would be far more disruptive to patients.