Boston — The Massachusetts Nurses Association, which represents about 4,000 nurses at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, said it has filed a fourth unfair labor practice charge against the hospital as nurses prepare for an open-ended strike beginning Oct. 14.
The latest charge, filed Oct. 2, alleges that hospital management changed nurses’ job descriptions and duties without bargaining with the union.
The filing follows three previous unfair labor practice charges related to the nurses’ July strike, scheduling changes and the wearing of union buttons.
The union said nurses plan to begin an indefinite unfair labor practice strike at 7 a.m. on Oct. 14. The required 10-day strike notice was delivered Oct. 2.
“Mass General Brigham cannot simply rewrite nurses’ jobs and bypass their elected union representatives,” said Kelly Morgan, RN, a Labor and Delivery Nurse and Chair of the BWH MNA Bargaining Committee.
Morgan said the union would continue pressing for a new contract and resolution of the labor practice disputes.
Brigham nurses voted 2,986 to 215 on Sept. 24 to authorize an open-ended strike. The vote followed a one-day strike on July 8, a subsequent four-day lockout and bargaining sessions during July and August that did not produce an agreement.
The union said it has offered to resume negotiations with Mass General Brigham, including through mediation. According to the MNA, the health system has placed conditions on further negotiations that include proposed compensation concessions.
Nurses are seeking limits on the use of temporary nurses, more affordable health insurance options, cost-of-living wage increases and additional compensation for nurses required to work across multiple units.
“Nurses should be able to advocate for our patients, wear our union buttons and exercise our right to strike without interference or retaliation,” said Jim McCarthy, RN, a PACU Nurse and Vice Chair of the BWH MNA Bargaining Committee.
The MNA also cited Mass General Brigham’s financial position as part of its argument that the health system can afford the contract changes sought by nurses.
According to figures cited by the union, Mass General Brigham reported $22.8 billion in operating revenue, $2.39 billion in profits, $1.75 billion in investment income and $35.8 billion in total assets for fiscal 2025.
The union also said Mass General Brigham CEO Anne Klibanski received nearly $9.2 million in compensation.
The MNA said it wants the health system to return to bargaining before the planned Oct. 14 strike.
