Overview
- Negotiations collapsed after more than 15 hours of federal-mediated talks, leaving nurses preparing for an open-ended strike scheduled to begin Thursday.
- The Massachusetts Nurses Association voted down the system’s ‘‘last, best, and final’’ offer and is pushing for across-the-board cost-of-living raises, lower health-insurance costs, and caps on long-term travel nurses.
- Mass General Brigham says it has offered market-competitive pay, notes base pay rose about 55% over five fiscal years, and plans to use skilled replacement and agency nurses to maintain patient care.
- Governor Maura Healey and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu attended a negotiation session to press both sides to keep bargaining and avert the strike.
- The dispute occurs as MGB pursues cost cuts and operating-margin goals, highlighting tensions over pay distribution and the system’s reliance on temporary staffing that could affect patient access and labor relations going forward.