The union represents 500 nurses at the hospital, according to a Sept. 16 union news release. Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital, part of Somerville, Mass.-based Mass General Brigham, has approximately 1,800 employees total.
Union members voted to authorize a strike in July. The union and hospital began negotiating a new labor contract in fall 2023, a Mass General Brigham spokesperson told Becker’s. The spokesperson said progress has been made during negotiations, “including offering a considerable increase in wages for our nurses.”
The union contends that hospital management has repeatedly refused to agree to an adequate contract and, after months of negotiations, would not provide Faulkner nurses wage parity with Brigham and Women’s Hospital nurses. Members say they seek a contract “that appropriately values the complex patient care nurses provide and improves recruitment and retention.”
“Our focus remains on continuing the negotiation process while providing high-quality, safe care for our patients,” the Mass General Brigham spokesperson said. “If a strike does take place on Oct. 1 as the union indicated, we are positioned to provide the care our patients expect without interruption.”
The union represents a combined 4,500 nurses at Boston-based BWH and Faulkner. Union members at BWH approved a new labor contract earlier in September after authorizing a strike in July.
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