September 25, 2026
Nurses at Brigham and Women’s Hospital voted Thursday to authorize an open-ended strike as the contract negotiation stalemate with Mass General Brigham continues.
The Massachusetts Nurses Association said 93% of nurses voted in favor of the strike — with 2,986 nurses in support of the action and 215 in opposition. That tally represents the largest number of nurses backing a strike authorization in state history, the MNA said.
No strike date is set yet. Nurses are required to give 10 days’ notice before walking off the job.
“Brigham nurses have made clear that we are prepared to stay on strike for as long as it takes to win a contract that protects our patients and respects the nurses who care for them,” Kelly Morgan, a labor and delivery nurse and chair of the Brigham bargaining committee, said in a Thursday night statement. “An open-ended strike is a serious step that will undoubtedly create a healthcare crisis in Massachusetts. MGB can prevent the strike by returning to the table and negotiating the contract our nurses need to keep providing world-class care.”
Nurses at the Brigham went on strike in July after months of unsuccessful collective bargaining to secure cost-of-living increases, affordable health insurance, limits on the use of temporary travel nurses and protections around patient care. Their one-day strike turned into a five-day work stoppage as MGB brought on temporary replacement nurses.
MGB said the nurses receive annual 5% raises as part of a 20-step wage scale, and that it proposed a new 2.5% increase for nurses at the top step. Eleven nurses in the MNA bargaining unit earned more than $300,000 last year, according to MGB.
Nurses at Boston Medical Center earlier this month also voted to authorize a three-day strike.
