Brigham Nurses Union Calls Off Strike, Awaits Contract Vote

Boston – The Massachusetts Nurses Association, which speaks for more than four‑thousand nurses at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, announced on Tuesday that the strike slated for Wednesday will not happen. Instead, the union said it wants to give its members a chance to weigh in on the hospital’s newest contract offer before taking any further action.

“Our nurses have spent countless hours at the bargaining table, making hard choices in hopes of a fair deal,” the union’s statement read. “Yet MGB keeps refusing a cost‑of‑living wage increase, a move we see as an attempt to weaken our union and endanger patients and the community.”

Hospital officials responded that the latest proposal is their “best and final” offer. Pam Linzer, Brigham’s associate chief nursing officer, said, “We would always prefer to have our nurses on the floor, but we are prepared for any outcome. We have a playbook that was put together back in July.” She was referring to a brief, one‑day work stoppage over the summer when the hospital temporarily locked out nurses and brought in replacements to finish contracts.

According to the union, its members have already made significant concessions. They pulled back on demands for on‑call compensation and severance pay, trimmed the wage increase they were asking for, and stretched the contract length from 18 months to two and a half years. Details of the hospital’s current proposal, however, have not been made public.

With the strike on hold, Brigham says it has contingency plans, including the use of temporary nurses, should the union reject the offer. Union leaders have not set a date for any future work stoppage, leaving the situation in a tentative balance as the vote approaches.