Brigham and Women's Hospital nurses begin historic strike

Thousands of nurses at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston walked off the job on Wednesday, July 8, in what union officials describe as the largest nurses strike in Massachusetts history. The one-day walkout, called by the Massachusetts Nurses Association after months of failed contract negotiations with hospital operator Mass General Brigham, will effectively keep approximately 4,000 unionized nurses locked out until Monday, July 13, due to the hospital's use of five-day contracts for replacement staff.

The strike centers on disputes over wages, health insurance costs, and workplace conditions. The union argues that the hospital has refused to provide cost-of-living wage increases while proposing to raise employee contributions for health insurance, effectively resulting in a pay cut. Hospital officials reject that characterization, stating that Brigham nurses are among the highest-paid in the country. They note nurses receive automatic annual 5% "step" increases as they advance through a 22-step pay scale, with the average nurse earning more than $147,000 annually. The hospital contends the union's proposed across-the-board wage increases would add roughly $128 million in...