More than 4,000 nurses at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston reached a tentative contract late on Wednesday 11 November, hours before an open-ended strike was due to start at 7am on Thursday. The deal still has to be approved in a vote by union members, who rejected an earlier offer in October.
Imagine packing your picket sign the night before an indefinite strike, not knowing when you would next be paid, and then getting a message just before midnight: there is a deal.
What is in the deal
- Pay: from 15 November, a new top step 2.5% above the current top of the scale; nurses below the top step get a one-off $1,000 bonus, pro-rated by hours
- Another rise in 2027: from 30 September 2027, a further new top step 2.5% higher
- Staffing: 20 new 36-hour float pool posts, and a commitment not to replace permanent nurses with temporary staff
- Temporary nurses: the hospital must explain to the union whenever temporary staff fill more than 15% of a unit’s full-time positions
- Health insurance: current full-time nurses keep premium-free coverage; new full-time hires will pay 2.5% of the premium
What each side said
The Massachusetts Nurses Association said nurses had “protected patients and the future of union nursing care at the Brigham”. Mass General Brigham said the agreement was reached “within the financial limits” of its earlier final offer, according to the Boston Globe.
How the dispute got here
- 8 July: a one-day strike, followed by a four-day lockout
- October: members rejected the hospital’s “last, best and final” offer
- 1 November: notice of an open-ended strike from 12 November
- 11 November: tentative agreement reached late at night
Why it matters beyond Boston
The dispute centred on two issues nurses face worldwide: pay at the top of the scale and the growing use of temporary staff. The deal’s limits on replacing permanent nurses with temporary ones may be watched by unions in other hospitals.
What happens next
The union’s bargaining committee will recommend that members approve the deal. The date of the vote has not been announced.
Frequently asked questions
Is the strike definitely off?
The strike has been called off while members vote. If they reject the deal, the dispute could resume.
How much do Brigham nurses earn?
According to the Boston Globe, starting pay was about $86,700 a year before the deal, and nurses with two decades of service earned at least $220,000.
But did the nurses get what they asked for?
Not fully. The union had sought across-the-board rises of 3% then 4%. The hospital says the deal stays within its earlier limits, while the union points to staffing protections and keeping free health insurance as key wins.
Your next step: If you work in a unionised hospital, read your own contract’s rules on temporary staffing and floating.
Related: Background: Brigham nurses set open-ended strike
Sources: Massachusetts Nurses Association statement (11 November 2026), The Boston Globe, Boston 25 News.
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