Thousands of Brigham and Women’s Nurses May Go on Strike

Photo by Alex Lau

Thousands of nurses at Brigham and Women’s Hospital may go on strike this month.

According to the Boston Globe, the union, which represents 3,300 nurses at the hospital, voted on Monday in favor of a one-day walkout that could potentially take place before the end of June.

Talk of a possible strike comes after nine months and 19 sessions of tense contract negotiations between the Massachusetts Nurses Association and the Brigham, according to WBZ. The two sides haven’t been able to find common ground over several issues, including increased wages, time off, and health care benefits.

The earliest that the walkout could happen is on June 24, because nurses must give 10 days’ notice prior to proceeding with a strike.

“We are prepared to strike unless Partners and Brigham and Women’s Hospital come back and offer us a fair contract. So we voted today to restore the Brigham way of nursing excellence and safe patient care and that’s why we’re here,” union chairperson Trish Powers told WBZ.

In preparation of a possible walkout, hospital officials revealed that they will work with a staffing agency to hire 700 temporary nurses, according to the Globe.

The strike may be avoided altogether if the two sides can come to an agreement within the next few days.