Nurses at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, one of the best-known teaching hospitals in the United States, have given notice of an open-ended strike starting at 7am on Thursday 12 November 2026. Unlike their one-day walkout in July, this strike has no end date.
The nurses are represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA). The union issued the legally required 10-day notice on 1 November, after members rejected what the hospital called its “last, best and final offer” on 23 October.
Is there still a chance to avoid the strike?
Yes. Both sides are due back at the table on Monday 9 November with a federal mediator. It will be roughly the 28th bargaining session in about 11 months of talks. If a tentative agreement is reached there, the strike could be called off.
What the hospital is offering
Brigham and Women’s is owned by Mass General Brigham. According to reports in the Boston press, the hospital’s October offer included:
- Step increases of 5% a year for nurses in their first 20 years
- A new 2.5% top step each year for the most experienced nurses
- No across-the-board pay rise for all nurses
Hospital leaders say new graduate nurses start on about $86,700 a year and that the most experienced nurses can earn up to about $220,000, with around 30% of nurses at the top of the scale. The hospital says its pay is among the highest in the market and that only compensation and benefits remain in dispute.
What nurses want
The union’s main demands include:
- Across-the-board, cost-of-living pay rises for new and experienced nurses
- A choice of health insurance plans
- Limits on the use of temporary (agency and travel) nurses
- A “float differential” for nurses moved between units
The bargaining committee chair, Kelly Morgan, said nurses are “ready to strike” but equally prepared to negotiate a fair contract.
How we got here
- 8 July 2026: About 4,000 nurses held a one-day strike, described as the largest nurses’ strike in Massachusetts history. The hospital then kept them out for four more days, saying replacement nurses had been hired on five-day minimum contracts. Nurses returned on 13 July.
- September: Members voted 2,986 to 215 to authorise an open-ended strike.
- 14 October: A planned indefinite strike was postponed after a long bargaining session produced the hospital’s final offer.
- 23 October: Nurses rejected that offer. The same day, Mass General Brigham announced a round of layoffs.
- 1 November: The union gave notice of the 12 November strike.
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey has urged both sides to keep negotiating, and the state’s congressional delegation has called for a good-faith agreement.
What it means for patients
The hospital says it will keep providing safe care during any stoppage and has contingency plans in place. In October it recruited up to 2,000 temporary nurses for the strike that was later postponed. Patients with appointments should check with their care team. In an emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department.
Why nurses elsewhere are watching
The dispute touches issues nurses face in many countries: whether pay keeps up with the cost of living, how much hospitals rely on temporary staff, and how far step-based pay scales reward long service over across-the-board rises. For international nurses thinking about the US, it is also a reminder that pay at major teaching hospitals is high but negotiated hard. See our guides to registered nurse pay by state and US licensure for international nurses.
We will update this story after the 9 November talks.
Sources: Boston.com; Medical Daily.
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