MNA: Brigham Nurses to Hold Strike Authorization Vote as Mass General Brigham Contract Proposals Undermine Safe Patient Care and the BWH Nursing Workforce

MGB offers 0% cost of living raises and seeks to increase nurses’ insurance costs despite being the wealthiest hospital system in MA and paying executives millions

BOSTON, June 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Registered nurses at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA), will hold a strike authorization vote on Tuesday, June 16 as executives with Mass General Brigham (MGB) demoralize nurses and jeopardize the quality of care at the hospital with bargaining positions that destabilize the nursing workforce.

MGB’s contract bargaining positions threaten patient care by undermining recruitment and retention, increasing healthcare costs for caregivers, and refusing proposals aimed at strengthening the permanent nursing workforce.

“We provide excellent care for extremely sick and complex patients, yet MGB executives continue to devalue and disrespect Brigham nurses,” said Kelly Morgan, RN, a labor and delivery nurse and Chair of the BWH MNA Bargaining Committee. “Patient care depends on recruiting and retaining experienced nurses. When management refuses to invest in the nursing workforce, patients pay the price.”

After more than seven months of negotiations and 19 bargaining sessions, MGB continues to offer 0% wage increases for nurses below the top step while also proposing substantial increases in nurses’ health insurance costs. Nurses are also seeking limits on the overuse of temporary travel nurses to improve continuity of care and bolster retention of permanent nursing staff.

Strike Authorization Vote Details
When: Tuesday, June 16, 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Where: Various locations, including a Longwood location next to BWH.
What: Nurses will vote throughout the day, with a vote count after 8 p.m. Contact [email protected], for more information.

A strike authorization vote does not automatically mean a strike will occur. Rather, it authorizes the nurses’ bargaining committee to schedule a potential one-day strike if necessary to secure a fair contract that protects patient care. Nurses will give the legally required 10-day notice if they schedule a strike.

MGB Executives Make Millions

While Brigham nurses struggle to get the proper support to provide the highly specialized care their patients need, MGB’s highest-paid executives received a combined $35.9 million in compensation in fiscal year 2024.

“Nurses are being told there is no money to provide wage increases that keep up with inflation, but MGB somehow found $35.9 million to pay its top executives,” said Jim McCarthy, RN, a PACU nurse and Vice Chair of the BWH MNA Bargaining Committee. “That sends a troubling message about the priorities of this organization.”

Nurses Raise Concerns About Patient Care Service Closures

Brigham nurses point to a pattern of decisions by MGB that prioritize system-wide financial strategies over patient care at BWH. While top MGB executives earned a combined $35.9 million in fiscal year 2024, MGB has:

• Closed the Weiner Center, moving specialized preoperative services to another facility and disrupting continuity of care for complex patients.
• Closed the BWH Burn Unit, despite serious concerns raised by nurses and scrutiny from state regulators.
• Eliminated the Integrated Care Management Program (iCMP) at BWH and consolidated the service under MGB.

“The decision by MGB executives to close Brigham services directly affect patients and the level of care they receive,” said Morgan. “Brigham nurses are speaking out because we know what it takes to deliver this care safely, and we see what’s being lost. We’re standing up now to protect our patients and the long-term strength of this hospital.”

Undervaluing Nurses Threatens Recruitment, Retention, and Patient Care

Nurses say MGB’s proposals at the bargaining table fail to support the workforce needed to sustain high-quality care, including inadequate wage proposals and increased insurance costs.

• 0% Wage Offer = Disrespectful and Undermines Patient Care
  • MGB is refusing to offer any wage increase for nurses below the top step. This is unacceptable and undermines recruitment, retention, and patient safety.
  • At the same time, MGB is advertising a Chief Nursing Executive position with a salary range of $750,000 to $950,000 and a CNO position at MGH for ~$600,000.
• Health Insurance Costs
  • MGB is trying to increase nurses’ insurance costs at BWH, after hanging a potential tax penalty over nurses’ heads for a year because BWH’s insurance was not compliant with state law.
  • Nurses are seeking to extend a health insurance choice option, which would give them the opportunity to select from different insurance plans depending on their healthcare needs.

Despite the economic pressures imposed by federal lawmakers on hospitals related to Medicaid funding, MGB has reported strong financial performance. According to a report in STAT News in December, “Mass General Brigham on Friday reported a $59.2 million operating gain in the year ending in September, a 0.3% margin, compared to a $45.7 million gain in the same period the year prior. Those numbers, along with a sizable gain from investments, contributed to a $2.4 billion net margin. Last year, the system reported $2 billion in net gains.”

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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.

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SOURCE Massachusetts Nurses Association