Thousands of nurses at one of the region’s biggest medical centers walked off the job Wednesday morning to protest their employer, Mass General Brigham, and demand better pay.
Nurses hugged, cried, cheered and rang cowbells as they picketed outside the main campus of Brigham and Women’s Hospital on Francis Street in Boston. They carried signs accusing the hospital of putting profits above patients and workers. Drivers passing by honked their car horns in support.
“ This feels awful,” cardiac ICU nurse Leanne Avery said as she picketed outside the hospital building. “I hate leaving my patients, and we’re worried about them.”
Meanwhile, a crew of temporary replacement nurses provided care to the patients inside, many of whom are experiencing serious and complex medical issues. There were 841 patients at the Brigham Wednesday, a typical number for the busy hospital, officials said.
The work stoppage is expected to last five days. The Massachusetts Nurses Association scheduled a one-day walkout, and hospital officials will lock out the nurses for four additional days, without pay.
The contract dispute centers on compensation. Brigham nurses already receive 5% annual increases during their first 20 years on the job. On top of that, they have often received additional raises. But this year, hospital officials are not offering raises on top of the 5%, except for the most senior nurses.
That’s a problem, said Michele Hassler, an oncology nurse and union representative.
“People need a cost-of-living increase,” she said. “You have student loans to pay, rent, groceries — just trying to live.”
Union members have also criticized the salaries of Mass General Brigham executives including the company’s CEO, Dr. Anne Klibanski, who received more than $8.4 million in compensation in 2024.
Hospital officials have released public statements but declined to be interviewed about the strike. They say the union’s proposal to raise wages about 7% over 18 months — in addition to the 5% annual step increases — is too expensive.
Hospital officials acknowledge that nurses previously received bigger pay increases. But that was when the grueling working conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic demanded higher compensation to attract workers. Now, officials say, the labor market has stabilized.
The hospital and the union also disagree on health insurance costs and the hospital’s reliance on temporary workers.
Peter Sztramski, an operating room nurse, said, “It’s not just about money, it’s about basic respect for nurses.
“During COVID we were the heroes,” he said. “Now they offer us zero. Unacceptable.”
“We just want to be treated fairly and maintain the benefits and the treatment that we had, and not lose that,” Avery, the ICU nurse, said.
Several Democratic elected officials joined the striking nurses at times throughout the day. U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren brought them Dunkin’ doughnuts soon after the strike began at 7 a.m.
The walkout is the biggest by nurses in state history. It includes more than 4,000 nurses at the Brigham, which along with Massachusetts General Hospital is one of the pillars of the Mass General Brigham nonprofit health system. In addition, about 450 clinicians in the company’s home care program began a seven-day strike Wednesday.
As the dispute lingers, the Brigham is employing 1,300 temporary nurses to take the place of union workers. That’s enough to maintain regular staffing levels and provide safe care, hospital officials said.
“Our highest priority is the safety and well-being of our patients,” they said in a statement. “Brigham and Women’s Hospital remains open and fully operational, and patients should continue to come to scheduled appointments unless they hear directly from their care team.”
Massachusetts nurses don’t often go on strike. The last big walkout, at Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester, ended in 2022, according to the union.
Brigham nurses were close to going on strike a decade ago. But that walkout was canceled when they reached a deal that was brokered in part by Marty Walsh, Boston’s former mayor and a former labor leader.
Michelle Wu, the city’s current mayor, told reporters Wednesday that nurses deserve a fair contract. “I continue to urge everyone to be at the table and do everything possible to reach an agreement,” she said.
Gov. Maura Healey met with representatives from both sides this week and also urged them to reach a resolution as quickly as possible.
WBUR reporter Eve Zuckoff contributed to this report.
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
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