Following a one-day strike on July 8, 2026 and a four-day lockout from July 9 – July 12, 2026, members of the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA)) wll be returning to the picket line on October 14 for an open-ended strike. Boston City Councilors Ed Flynn, Erin Murphy, and Miniard Culpepper filed a resolution at the Boston City Council urging the Mass General Brigham (MGB) Board of Directors return to the table and negotiate in good-faith in light of historic strikes and lockout.
On April 29, 2026, the Boston City Council passed Docket #0885 Resolution in support of nurses at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Since then, the MGB Board of Directors has refused to engage in meaningful negotiations with both Brigham and Women’s Hospital nurses and MGB Home Care clinicians over core issues affecting patient care, safe caseload limits, recruitment and retention, and affordable healthcare for caregivers. As frontline healthcare providers, nurses and clinicians of the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA) are essential to the health of the City of Boston and the Commonwealth.
MGB is a non-profit healthcare system of tremendous size, wealth and power. MGB owns or operates 15 hospitals, an extensive home care and home hospital network, physician organizations, its own insurance plan, major research operations and substantial investment assets. MGB is also the seventh wealthiest health care system in the country with $35.8 billion in assets and benefits from significant public investment through public-backed financing structures, state health programs, and federal research grants, public trust and tax-exempt status. Despite this accumulation of wealth and public investment, MGB relies on the public’s trust that the institution has the best interest of patients at heart.
“Rather than reach fair agreements with MNA nurses, Mass General Brigham has chosen the wasteful and irresponsible path of spending an estimated $100 million on two strikes and a four-day lockout,” said Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn. “This significantly undermines confidence in MGB’s commitment to its workforce, its patients, and the communities it serves, and it is time they return to the negotiating table. Supporting our nurses and the professionals who care for our families is essential to ensuring every patient receives the quality of care they deserve.”
“We are grateful to the Boston City Council and especially Councilor Ed Flynn for standing with Brigham nurses and recognizing that our fight for a fair contract is about protecting the world-class patient care Boston depends on and respecting the nurses who provide it. This support sends a strong message to MGB: Return to the bargaining table without preconditions and work with us to reach a fair agreement that averts this historic strike,” said Kelly Morgan, RN, MNA Brigham Chair, and Labor and Delivery Nurse.
“I stand with our nurses, who deserve safe working conditions, affordable health insurance, and a fair contract that respects their work. Mass General Brigham needs to return to the bargaining table and negotiate in good faith for the nurses and the patients who depend on them,” said Boston City Councilor At-Large Erin Murphy.
“Nurses dedicate their careers to caring for others, and they deserve dignity and respect, not just in words, but in their contracts. Safe caseloads, strong recruitment and retention, and affordable healthcare are essential for both caregivers and patients. I’m proud to join Councilor Flynn in urging Mass General Brigham to return to the bargaining table in good faith and reach a fair contract that values its nurses and protects patient care,” said Boston City Councilor Miniard Culpepper.
For more information, please contact Councilor Flynn’s office at 617-635-3203 or Ed.Flynn@Boston.gov.
