Members of the Massachusetts Nurses Association voted Oct. 22-23 to reject the proposed contract offer from Boston-based Brigham and Women’s Hospital, part of Somerville, Mass.-based Mass General Brigham.
The union, which represents more than 4,000 Brigham nurses, did not release vote totals. Its bargaining committee has requested to resume negotiations in the coming week, according to an Oct. 23 union news release.
“This vote shows the resolve of Brigham nurses, who are fighting for patient safety and for the professional respect we deserve,” said Kelly Morgan, RN, chair of the union’s bargaining committee, in the release.
The vote follows the union’s decision to postpone an open-ended strike that was set to begin Oct. 14 so nurses could vote on the offer. The offer kept the hospital’s existing wage progression, including annual 5% step increases until nurses reach 20 years of service, and added two 2.5% top steps for the most tenured nurses. The union has said the offer does not include cost-of-living wage increases.
“The proposal reflected the hospital’s commitment to investing in our nurses while supporting long-term sustainability, including meaningful compensation and benefit enhancements that kept Brigham nursing pay among the highest in the market,” the hospital said in a statement shared with Becker’s. “Brigham and Women’s Hospital is prepared to maintain uninterrupted care and respond to any steps the union may take.”
In a message to nurses, Brigham and Women’s Chief Nursing Officer Julia Mason, DNP, RN, said the vote “does not necessarily mean there will be a strike” and that the union’s bargaining committee will determine next steps. If the union decides to strike, it must give the hospital 10 days’ notice.
The vote comes as Mass General Brigham has begun a new round of layoffs, its second in less than two years, amid a more than $300 million budget shortfall.
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