MNA: Brigham Nurses Schedule Largest Open-Ended Nurse Strike in MA History to Begin October 14 as MGB Billionaires Refuse to Negotiate a Fair Contract to Protect Patient Care

The decision to schedule a strike comes as MGB posted profits of close to $3 billion, making it the most profitable hospital system in the Commonwealth

BOSTON, Oct. 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The 4,000 Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) nurses will begin the largest open-ended nurse strike in Massachusetts history at 7 a.m. on October 14, 2026, unless Mass General Brigham (MGB) agrees to a fair contract that protects patient care, strengthens the permanent nursing workforce and provides affordable health insurance.

Brigham nurses, represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA), provided the hospital with the legally required 10-day notice for the strike on Friday morning, October 2. If the strike is held, the strike will continue until Brigham nurses reach a fair contract agreement with MGB. This is an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) strike as Brigham nurses have filed multiple ULPs against the hospital since July. ULP strikes offer greater protection for striking workers, according to the National Labor Relations Board.

• Nurses filed a ULP against BWH for illegally preventing neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) nurses from exercising their federally protected right to participate in the Brigham nurses' strike on July 8, 2026.
• Nurses filed a ULP against BWH for illegally retaliating against nurses for exercising their federally protected right to participate in the July strike by changing their schedules.
• Nurses filed a ULP against BWH for threatening disciplinary action against nurses if they did not remove their union buttons.

"4,000 Brigham nurses are prepared to hold an open-ended strike because we are dedicated to our patients and united for a fair contract," said Kelly Morgan, RN, a labor and delivery nurse and Chair of the BWH MNA Bargaining Committee. "We have repeatedly tried to get MGB to negotiate and avoid a second strike, but the billionaires who run MGB have shut the door on us. There is still time to reach an agreement that protects patient care and respects nurses. MGB needs to come back to the table and negotiate without preconditions."

The BWH MNA Bargaining Committee's decision to schedule the strike follows a strike authorization vote on September 24 that was 2,986 to 215. More nurses voted yes to authorize this potential BWH strike than in any nurse strike authorization vote in Massachusetts history. The vote coincided with new information from the state showing that MGB is once again the most profitable hospital system in Massachusetts, with a total margin of $2.3 billion.

Nurses tried to reach an agreement in bargaining sessions in July and August following their July 8 one-day strike and MGB's subsequent four-day lockout. Despite nurses' willingness to discuss compromises, MGB refused to negotiate. On August 11, management said it would not continue negotiating. Nurses are calling on MGB to resume negotiations immediately and prevent the strike by agreeing to a fair contract.

• Brigham nurses have offered to meet every single day since their July 8 strike began, every day during and after the lockout, every day leading up to their September 24 strike vote, and every day since that vote.
• Nurses have told the hospital they are willing to negotiate on or off the record at any time. Nurses have offered to negotiate through the mediator if management is unwilling to sit in a room with them.
• There should be no confusion about Brigham nurses' willingness to bargain. They have made it undeniably clear.
• MGB, on the other hand, has said they will schedule negotiations but only if nurses first agree to a multi-year pay freeze. This is not a real offer to bargain.

"Every single shift, Brigham nurses bring our expertise and commitment to caring for our patients. We need MGB to value the care we provide and get back to the table to settle this contract," said Jim McCarthy, RN, a PACU nurse and Vice Chair of the BWH MNA Bargaining Committee. "A hospital system with billions in profits can invest in permanent nurses, affordable insurance and wages that keep up with the cost of living. We are ready to negotiate but are prepared to strike if MGB continues to refuse to bargain."

Brigham Nurses Are Fighting For

• A strong permanent nursing workforce. Nurses are seeking limits on MGB's reliance on temporary nurses to support continuity and quality of care for Brigham patients.
• Affordable health insurance and meaningful plan choice. MGB has proposed increasing nurses' health insurance costs. Nurses want coverage they and their families can afford and choice between insurance plans.
• Fair compensation. Nurses are seeking a meaningful cost-of-living wage increase and a differential for nurses required to float among units.
  • Economic data showing that from 2020 to 2024, the income needed to maintain a middle-class standard of living for family in Massachusetts jumped nearly 50 percent, according to the MassINC Policy Center.
  • Inflation in Massachusetts has remained high since 2024, according to a recent report.

MGB Has Billions but Refuses to Agree to Fair Contracts

Mass General Brigham is the largest and wealthiest health system in New England. In fiscal year 2025, MGB reported:

• $22.8 billion in operating revenue.
• $2.39 billion in profits.
• $1.75 billion in investment income.
• $35.8 billion in total assets.
• Nearly $9.2 million in compensation for CEO Anne Klibanski, which is a 9% increase of approximately $800,000 in one year.

MGB's Board of Directors includes billionaires, private equity executives and corporate CEOs, including individuals whose businesses intersect with the healthcare system. Read the MNA's report on MGB's wealth, power, and board conflicts. Should MGB be a non-profit?

• Scott Sperling, MGB Board Chair, is co-CEO of private equity giant THL Partners, which invests heavily in healthcare and technology.
• John Fish, Board Vice Chair, leads Suffolk Construction, which has received major MGB-related construction work, including MGB's $465 million headquarters.
• Jonathan Kraft, Board Vice Chair, oversees the Kraft family's multibillion-dollar business empire, including property at Patriot Place leased to MGB.

MGB's enormous financial resources make clear that it can afford fair contracts that protect patients, maintain stable workforces and respect the professionals who deliver care.

Learn more at www.massnurses.org/MGB.

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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