BOSTON — More than 4,000 nurses at Brigham and Women’s Hospital could walk off the job Thursday, but the two sides are heading back to the bargaining table in a last-minute effort to reach a deal.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the Massachusetts Nurses Association said it was being called back to negotiations within the hour.
The development comes after the union said Wednesday morning that it had requested to resume negotiations but Mass General Brigham had refused. An MGB spokesperson disputed that claim, saying the hospital would return to the table if the MNA agreed to do so.
The two sides spent 15 hours negotiating Monday, but an agreement was not reached.
The hospital said it has moved on a majority of the union’s priorities, including staffing, scheduling, health insurance, and wages.
Under the hospital’s latest, best and final offer, a new graduate staff nurse would see an annual base pay increase from $86,700 to $95,700, while a mid-level staff nurse would see a pay increase from more than $147,000 to $161,000.
An experienced registered nurse at the top step would see an annual base pay increase from $220,000 to $230,880 over the proposed two-year contract.
The contract in question is the same one that nurses walked off the job for back in July during a one-day strike, which turned into a 4-day lockout.
MNA chair Kelly Morgan said the MNA is still seeking essential contractual language, which is currently preventing a deal from being reached.
“I can’t even look at wages until I get the language that we need about the travelers, the health insurance, and the floating, so if we can get those things then wages is an easy thing to figure out,” Morgan said.
Mass General Brigham said it is fully prepared to continue caring for patients and has agency nurses preparing for a potential walkout.
The uncertainty has concerned some patients and their families.
Penny Aicardi said her mother has been hospitalized since October with lymphoma and that the nurses caring for her have come to feel like family, but she’s worried about what Thursday could bring.
“I can’t be there every moment of every day, so I rely on them,” Aicardi said. “I am scared of the consistency of care that she’ll have.”
If the two sides do not reach an agreement, the strike is scheduled to begin at 7 a.m. Thursday
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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