Brigham and Women's Hospital Nurses Prepare for 24-hour Strike on Monday, June 27 With Sunday Rally in Dorchester

CANTON, Mass., June 24, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The 17-member Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) nurse bargaining committee will meet at the federal mediator's office in Boston on Friday, June 24 to continue contract negotiations with a federal mediator and representatives from BWH/Partners HealthCare.

Unless BWH/Partners offers a fair settlement that values safe patient care and nurses more than corporate profits, the 3,300 Brigham nurses are prepared to strike for 24 hours starting on Monday, June 27. The hospital has threatened to lock out nurses for an additional four days and hire mercenary replacement nurses. This is an irresponsible reaction to the Brigham nurses' concerns on the table about safe staffing and equal benefits. Bringing in mercenary nurses from across the country to replace specialized, highly trained Brigham nurses will endanger patient safety.

"Brigham nurses are irreplaceable," said Kelly Morgan, a labor and delivery nurse and vice chair of the MNA BWH bargaining unit. "We walk the halls of this hospital every day. We know and have worked with the physicians at the hospital and cared for their patients for years. Without the Brigham 3,300 nurses, the hospital is inoperable."

Below is an anticipated schedule for Brigham nurses over the next few days, which could change if BWH/Partners stops valuing its corporate profits and outrageous executive pay over patients and nurses.

Friday, June 24

What: The 22nd negotiating session between Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) nurses and BWH/Partners HealthCare since Sept. 1, 2015

When: Friday, June 24 starting at 9 a.m.

Where: Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, 99 Summer St., Boston MA

Who: 17 registered nurses, elected by their fellow 3,300 Brigham nurses and represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association, will meet with the federal mediator and hospital representatives

Sunday, June 26

What: A pre-strike rally in anticipation of the one-day Brigham nurse protest strike Monday

When: Sunday, June 26 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Where: Boston Teachers Union function hall at Carson Place, 180 Mt. Vernon St. Dorchester

Who: Many hundreds of the 3,300 Brigham nurses represented by the Massachusetts Nurse Association, friends, family, union supporters and local, state and federal elected officials; media welcome

Monday, June 27

What: Brigham nurses will begin a 24-hour protest strike at 7 a.m. unless BWH/Partners offers a fair settlement that values patients and nurses over profits

When: Monday, June 27 at 7 a.m., ending at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, June 28. A strike-day rally is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Monday

Where: In front of the main entrance of Brigham and Women's Hospital at 75 Francis St. Additional nurse strike locations: BWH/MGH Care Center, 20 Patriot Place, Foxborough; BWH Health Care Center, 850 Boylston Street, Chestnut Hill; Southern Jamaica Plain Health Center, 640 Centre Street, Jamaica Plain; Brookside Community Health Center, 3297 Washington Street, Jamaica Plain

Who: The 3,300 Brigham nurses represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association, friends, family, union supporters and local, state and federal elected officials; media welcome

Find out more about Brigham nurses' issues. This link brings you to a statement from the nurses about the ongoing contract negotiations and pending strike.

Learn about nurse staffing issues in the thoracic step-down unit. A cut in core staffing in this area has jeopardized safe care for some of the hospital's sickest patients.

Learn about mercenary replacement nurses. BWH/Partners claims to be hiring 700 replacement nurses to temporarily replace the 3,300 highly specialized Brigham nurses. This is irresponsible.

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Founded in 1903, the Massachusetts Nurses Association/National Nurses United is the largest professional health care organization and the largest union of registered nurses in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Its 23,000 members advance the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting the economic and general welfare of nurses in the workplace, projecting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and by lobbying the Legislature and regulatory agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and the public. The MNA is a founding member of National Nurses United, the largest national nurses' union in the United States with more than 170,000 members from coast to coast.

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SOURCE Massachusetts Nurses Association/National Nurses United

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