Nearly 4,000 nurses at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston have reached a tentative labor contract after authorizing a one-day strike.
The agreement was reached Aug. 8 following a strike authorization vote July 24 according to a news release from their union, the Massachusetts Nurses Association. Brigham nurses voted 2,507-16 in favor of strike authorization. With the tentative deal, a potential strike has been averted.
"This tentative agreement represents a significant investment by the hospital and [its parent organization, Somerville, Mass.-based Mass General Brigham], to help with recruitment and retention and improve our patient care conditions," Kelly Morgan, a Brigham labor and delivery nurse and BWH MNA chair, said in the union release.
The tentative deal includes a 20% to 30% wage increase over two and a half years, depending on where nurses are on the BWH MNA wage scale, according to the union. It also includes the choice for nurses to switch between MGB and MNA health insurance; increases to several pay differentials; and various workplace violence prevention measures.
Kevin Giordano, COO of BWH, shared the following statement with Becker's: "We are so pleased to have come to an agreement with the Massachusetts Nursing Association on a new contract that recognizes the tremendous care our nurses provide each and every day to our patients and their families and reflects important agreements on issues critical to all of us, particularly in the area of workplace safety."
MNA members at Boston-based Brigham and Women's Faulkner Hospital also voted in July to authorize a one-day strike, but as of Aug. 8, none had been scheduled.The union represents a combined 4,500 nurses at BWH and Faulkner.