BOSTON — Thousands of nurses at Brigham and Women’s Hospital are set to return to work Monday morning as the hospital’s five-day lockout comes to an end. While the work stoppage is ending, the two sides have yet to reach a new contract agreement.
The lockout followed a one-day strike by nurses seeking higher pay and improved benefits, particularly regarding rising health insurance costs.
“I’m on the floor at 7 a.m., and I can’t wait to get back to my patients,” nurse Susan Demby said. “I miss them. I cry when I deliver a baby with those dads.”
For Demby, the contract dispute is personal. She says increasing health insurance costs could affect the care her family depends on, including services for her son, Cooper.
“I have Jedi. I have autism,” Cooper Demby said, referring to his service dog. “He’s my service dog, and I need Jedi so that way he can support me.”
“We don’t want those benefits to go away,” Susan Demby said. “He has thrived because of the health benefits, and our costs have gone up and what they’ve covered has gone down.”
Nurses say proposed changes to health insurance costs would effectively reduce their take-home pay.
“They want to hike up our insurance in some cases to 10 percent,” said Jim McCarthy, vice chair of the Brigham unit of the Massachusetts Nurses Association. “When you look at zero percent across the board and a 10 percent increase, well, that’s a pay cut.”
The hospital disputes that characterization, saying nurses receive annual pay increases and were given an across-the-board wage increase in October. Hospital officials also say nurses receive “generous retirement and health insurance benefits.”
Although nurses planned only a one-day strike, the hospital kept them off the job for five days to allow temporary replacement nurses to complete their contracted assignments.
Some patients also voiced support for the striking nurses.
“Without them, I just don’t know where I’d be,” patient Tasha Williams said.
Williams said she wanted to leave her hospital room to join the nurses on the picket line but was told she would have to discharge herself first.
“I had to sign myself out because they wouldn’t let me out to protest with them,” Williams said. “So I made a hardcore choice that I’m leaving because I’m in support of my nurses.”
Despite the ongoing contract dispute, nurses say they remain united as negotiations continue.
“The energy is great here. We have solidarity,” McCarthy said. “We’re basically going to show the hospital that you can’t mess with us, and we’re going to be united.”
A spokesperson for Brigham and Women’s Hospital said negotiations have been ongoing since November. During the work stoppage, the hospital said its primary focus has remained on patient care and that it respects its nurses and hopes to reach a fair contract agreement as soon as possible.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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