Nearly 4,000 registered nurses at Brigham and Women's Hospital voted overwhelmingly on June 16, 2026, to authorize a one-day strike, with 2,798 yes votes to 12 no votes (99.6%) — the largest registered nurse strike authorization vote in Massachusetts history. The Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA), which represents BWH nurses as their largest single bargaining unit in the state, says Mass General Brigham has spent seven months offering conditions that would drive experienced nurses out of the hospital.
The authorization does not automatically trigger a strike. MNA is required to provide 10 days' written notice before any work stoppage. The next scheduled bargaining session was June 18. As of publication, no strike date has been announced, though MNA leadership has made clear the vote reflects a genuine willingness to act.
What Mass General Brigham Has Been Offering
The core dispute is wage structure. MGB has offered 0% wage increases for nurses below the top step of the pay scale — which covers the majority of the nursing workforce that has not yet reached the top of a 20-step pay scale. The only raise MGB has offered is the standard 5% annual step increase for nurses already on the scale, which phases out at the top step. MGB describes this as a 5% raise; MNA describes it as 0% for the nurses who need cost-of-living adjustment most.
Beyond wages, MGB has proposed increases to nurses' health insurance costs and rejected MNA proposals to limit temporary travel nurse usage in ways that would protect continuity of care. MNA has argued that the hospital's approach to staffing — relying on high-cost travelers rather than investing in permanent staff — is both expensive for the institution and harmful to patients who benefit from consistent care relationships.
The financial context is hard to ignore. MGB reported a $2.4 billion net margin in recent fiscal years, with $59.2 million in operating gains. The system's top 14 executives earned $35.9 million combined in fiscal year 2024. MNA has made these figures central to its public communications, arguing that resources for competitive nurse wages exist and the refusal to deploy them is a policy choice, not a financial necessity.
BWH Nurses' Perspective
Kelly Morgan, RN and MNA Bargaining Committee Chair, stated: "We do not want to strike, but MGB executives have left nurses with little choice. Patient care depends on recruiting and retaining experienced nurses. When management refuses to invest in the nursing workforce, patients pay the price."
This framing — strike authorization as leverage, not declaration — is consistent with how major nursing labor actions have played out at other institutions. Jefferson Einstein nurses in Philadelphia used the same sequence earlier this year; Corewell Health nurses in Michigan did the same in March. The authorization vote signals to management that the union can deliver membership for a work stoppage; the question is whether it triggers serious movement at the table before a date is set.
What Happens Next
MNA has the authorization it needs to schedule a one-day strike with 10 days' notice. The union's stated preference is a negotiated settlement — and strike authorization votes historically produce more movement at the bargaining table than months of sessions without one. BWH leadership has not publicly indicated they plan to change their wage proposal in response to the vote. Whether the June 18 session and subsequent rounds close the gap before MNA sets a date remains the key variable to watch.
For travel nurses, a declared BWH strike would trigger significant demand in the Boston market for replacement staffing. Massachusetts is not an NLC compact state, so out-of-state travelers would need Massachusetts licensure — begin that process now if you are monitoring this situation.
Brigham and Women's is a 793-bed Level I trauma center and a flagship academic medical center. A work stoppage of any duration would have outsized reputational and operational consequences for MGB, which may factor into whether leadership reconsiders its wage stance at upcoming bargaining sessions. The 10-day notice window is both a legal requirement and a negotiating grace period.