Nurses at Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital nurses authorized a potential strike to attain a fair contract that will enable BWFH to recruit and retain the nurses needed to provide high-quality patient care
BOSTON, Mass. – The 500 Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital nurses, represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA), reached a tentative contract agreement on Thursday, September 19. BWFH nurses were prepared to hold a one-day strike on October 1 until Mass General Brigham (MGB) agreed to a contract that appropriately values the complex patient care nurses provide and will help BWFH with recruitment and retention.
Following a 99.7% strike authorization vote on July 25, BWFH nurses provided management with the legally required 10 days’ strike notice during negotiations on September 16. Nurses met again with management on September 19 with a federal mediator. The tentative agreement reached by BWFH nurses includes raises of 25% to 33% over three years, depending on if nurses are on wage steps or at the top of the step scale. There will also be full retro pay and other improvements. It must be ratified by a vote of the full BWFH MNA membership.
“We are excited to announce this tentative agreement, reached due to the power and solidarity of Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital nurses,” said Dan Rec, a Faulkner RN and Co-Chair of the MNA Bargaining Committee. “We joined together for our patients, pushing MGB to invest more in BWFH nurses so the hospital can address nurses leaving and unsafe staffing conditions.”
“We are incredibly proud of this contract agreement that reflects our priority of improving BWFH nurse staffing and making sure all of our patients get the care they deserve,” said Kathy Glennon, a Faulkner RN and Co-Chair of the MNA Bargaining Committee. “Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital nurses care deeply about our patients and our hospital. We owe our success to the unity our nurses have shown throughout this bargaining process.”
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Founded in 1903, the Massachusetts Nurses Association is the largest union of registered nurses in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Its 25,000 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.
