About 4,000 nurses at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston will vote Thursday on whether to authorize an open-ended strike, a sharp escalation from the one-day walkout they staged in July. The vote, set for September 24 from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., follows rallies this week outside Mass General Brigham's World Medical Innovation Forum at the Westin Boston Seaport, where the Massachusetts Nurses Association urged the health system to invest in its workforce rather than artificial intelligence.
A "yes" vote would not start a strike. It would give the MNA's bargaining committee authority to call one if necessary, and nurses must give the hospital 10 days' notice before any walkout. No strike date has been set.
For patients of one of the state's largest hospitals, the difference matters. July's strike was scheduled for one day but kept nurses off the job for five because of a lockout. An open-ended strike, if one came, would have no fixed end date.
Developing Story Note: This report covers new developments in the contract dispute at Brigham and Women's Hospital. Information may change after the September 24 vote. Details are current as of September 23, 2026, based on statements from the Massachusetts Nurses Association and Mass General Brigham.
A Ballot That Would Not Start a Strike on Its Own
The MNA said in a release announcing the rallies and vote that nurses and clinicians would rally outside the forum on September 22 and 23 while system executives spoke inside. The event, hosted by Mass General Brigham and Bank of America, is heavily focused on artificial intelligence, according to the union.
Kelly Morgan, RN, who chairs the Brigham bargaining committee, said in the release that "MGB has the wealth to settle fair contracts" and maintain a stable nursing workforce.
Mass General Brigham told Becker's Hospital Review that it respects the right to protest. "We respect the right of individuals to express their views lawfully and peacefully," a spokesperson said, adding that the system's focus was on a safe, orderly forum.
The two sides disagree even on the state of talks. The union says the system has not held a negotiating session since August. Mass General Brigham says the parties have met 25 times, that it has bargained in good faith, and that talks are at an impasse "given the MNA's unwillingness to adjust their proposal." It also says patient and workplace safety proposals are not part of the current disagreement and that the remaining issues are economic.
Lessons from July's Walkout for Brigham Patients
The last job action is the best guide to what patients could face. Nurses struck for 24 hours starting July 8, in what was described as the largest nurses' strike in Massachusetts history. The hospital then locked them out until July 13, saying its nearly 1,300 temporary replacement nurses were contracted for five days of work, the Boston Globe reported.
During that stoppage, Mass General Brigham said the hospital remained open and fully operational. Nurses returned to work on July 13 still without a contract, GBH News reported.
An open-ended strike would differ in one key way: it would continue until the dispute is settled or the union ends it. Among the union's stated goals is limiting the hospital's reliance on temporary nurses, the same kind of staffing the hospital used to cover July's strike.
For now, nothing changes for patients. Scheduled surgeries, appointments, and emergency care continue. If nurses authorize a strike and the union issues notice, patients would have at least 10 days before any walkout could begin, enough time to call care teams about upcoming procedures.
People with urgent symptoms should not delay emergency care because of labor news.
Dueling Numbers on Pay, Insurance, and Floating
The MNA says nurses want limits on temporary staffing, affordable health insurance with meaningful plan choice, fair pay for nurses required to float between units, and a cost-of-living raise. According to the union, its current proposal seeks an additional 7% across-the-board increase on top of the 5% annual step increases nurses receive and a 3% raise granted last October.
Mass General Brigham says that package would add about $90 million a year in wages, plus an $11.2 million ratification bonus, pushing annual nursing labor costs at the Brigham alone to nearly $1 billion. The system calls that growth "unsustainable" and says Brigham nurses are paid in the top 10% of the acute care hospital market, with base wages up an average of 55% over the past five fiscal years.
Its counteroffer keeps the 20-step pay scale, 5% step raises, and adds 2.5% increases or bonuses for nurses at the top step. The union, in turn, points to the system's finances, citing $2.39 billion in fiscal 2025 profits and nearly $9.2 million in compensation for CEO Dr. Anne Klibanski.
State cost rules sit in the background. Before the July strike, Mass General Brigham argued that the union's proposal would raise the hospital's overall operating costs by 3.4% and threaten to push it past the state's health care cost growth benchmark, Fierce Healthcare reported. Massachusetts set that benchmark at 3.6% a year to slow spending increases that eventually reach patients through premiums and bills.
Next Steps After Thursday's Ballot
Results are expected after polls close Thursday night. A "yes" vote would give the bargaining committee authority, not a date. Any strike would still require 10 days' notice, and either side could return to the table before then.
The dispute is not the only one at the system. About 450 MGB Home Care clinicians are negotiating a first contract, though the union says they are not currently voting on a strike.
September 24, 2026: Brigham nurses vote on authorizing an open-ended strike, 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
September 22 and 23, 2026: Nurses and clinicians rally outside the World Medical Innovation Forum at the Westin Boston Seaport.
July 8 to July 13, 2026: A one-day strike was followed by a four-day lockout, and nurses returned without a contract.
The takeaway for Boston families is steady rather than alarming. Care continues as normal this week; the vote alone changes nothing at the bedside, and any strike would come with at least 10 days of public notice.
Key Questions Answered
When is the strike authorization vote? Thursday, September 24, from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., among about 4,000 Brigham and Women's nurses.
Does a yes vote mean nurses will strike? No. It authorizes the union's bargaining committee to call a strike if necessary. No date is set, and 10 days' notice is required.
Is Brigham and Women's Hospital operating normally? Yes. Care continues as scheduled. During July's strike and lockout, the hospital said it stayed open and fully operational.
What are nurses asking for? According to the union, limits on temporary nurses, affordable insurance with plan choice, fair pay for floating between units, and a cost-of-living raise.
What does Mass General Brigham say? It says talks are at an impasse over economic issues, that its nurses are among the highest paid, and that the union's proposal would add about $90 million a year in wages.
Why did nurses rally at an innovation forum? The union said it wanted to contrast the system's focus on AI with its demand for investment in nurses and clinicians.
What should patients with upcoming appointments do? Keep them unless contacted. If a strike notice is issued, call your care team to ask how scheduled care may be affected.
Published by Medicaldaily.com
