Overview
- Brigham and Women's Hospital and the Massachusetts Nurses Association reached a tentative contract late Wednesday, Nov. 11, averting a planned open‑ended strike that had been set to begin Nov. 12.
- The pay package adds two 2.5% top‑step increases — one effective Nov. 15, 2026 and a second on Sept. 30, 2027 — and provides a $1,000 pro‑rated bonus for nurses below the top step.
- To limit reliance on temporary 'traveler' nurses the hospital will post 20 new 36‑hour float‑pool positions and must supply a written rationale whenever more than 15% of a unit’s full‑time equivalent positions are covered by temporary staff.
- Current nurses working 40 hours will keep premium‑free Harvard Pilgrim coverage while newly hired 40‑hour nurses must contribute 2.5% toward premiums, a change the union negotiated after rejecting an earlier proposal.
- The BWH MNA bargaining committee will recommend ratification and the contract runs through Sept. 30, 2028; Mass General Brigham says the deal fits its stated financial limits and, if approved, could ease staffing pressure and reduce risk of disruptive labor action.