Nurses at Brigham and Women's Faulkner Hospital
authorized a potential strike to attain a fair contract that will
enable BWFH to recruit and retain the nurses needed to provide
high-quality patient care
BOSTON, Sept. 20,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The 500 Brigham and Women's
Faulkner Hospital nurses, represented by the Massachusetts Nurses
Association (MNA), reached a tentative contract agreement on
Thursday, September 19. BWFH nurses
were prepared to hold a one-day strike on October 1 until Mass General Brigham (MGB) agreed
to a contract that appropriately values the complex patient care
nurses provide and will help BWFH with recruitment and
retention.
Following a 99.7% strike authorization vote on July 25, BWFH nurses provided management with the
legally required 10 days' strike notice during negotiations on
September 16. Nurses met again with
management on September 19 with a
federal mediator. The tentative agreement reached by BWFH nurses
includes raises of 25% to 33% over three years, depending on if
nurses are on wage steps or at the top of the step scale. There
will also be full retro pay and other improvements. It must be
ratified by a vote of the full BWFH MNA membership.
"We are excited to announce this tentative agreement, reached
due to the power and solidarity of Brigham and Women's Faulkner Hospital nurses,"
said Dan Rec, a Faulkner RN and
Co-Chair of the MNA Bargaining Committee. "We joined together
for our patients, pushing MGB to invest more in BWFH nurses so the
hospital can address nurses leaving and unsafe staffing
conditions."
"We are incredibly proud of this contract agreement that
reflects our priority of improving BWFH nurse staffing and making
sure all of our patients get the care they deserve," said
Kathy Glennon, a Faulkner RN
and Co-Chair of the MNA Bargaining Committee. "Brigham and Women's Faulkner Hospital nurses
care deeply about our patients and our hospital. We owe our success
to the unity our nurses have shown throughout this bargaining
process."
MassNurses.org │
Facebook.com/MassNurses │
Twitter.com/MassNurses │ Instagram.com/MassNurses
Founded in 1903, the Massachusetts Nurses Association is the
largest union of registered nurses in the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts. Its 25,000 members
advance the nursing profession by fostering high standards of
nursing practice, promoting the economic and general welfare of
nurses in the workplace, projecting a positive and realistic view
of nursing, and by lobbying the Legislature and regulatory agencies
on health care issues affecting nurses and the public.
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mna-brigham-and-womens-faulkner-nurses-reach-tentative-agreement-averting-one-day-strike-and-securing-significant-investment-in-nurses-to-improve-staffing-and-patient-care-302254162.html
SOURCE Massachusetts Nurses Association