MNA Faulkner Hospital Nurses to Issue Strike Notice on September 16 if Mass General Brigham Fails to Reach Agreement Respecting Nurses and Protecting Patient Care

Faulkner nurses voted 99.7% to authorize a potential one-day strike because MGB refuses to properly value the excellent patient care Faulkner nurses provide under extremely challenging conditions

BOSTON, Sept. 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A one-day strike notice will be issued by the approximately 500 registered nurses of Brigham and Women's Faulkner Hospital, represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association, on September 16 if Mass General Brigham (MGB) does not reach an agreement with nurses during their negotiation session scheduled for that day.

Faulkner nurses plan to give the hospital the legally required 10 days' notice for a potential strike during bargaining on Monday if MGB refuses to agree to a fair contract. A strike date has not been set by the nurses, but they will identify an appropriate date for a one-day strike and issue the notice if necessary.

Faulkner nurses voted 99.7% on July 25 to authorize a potential one-day strike because after months of negotiations, MGB would not provide Faulkner nurses wage parity with Brigham and Women's Hospital nurses, and thereby failed to address longstanding unsafe staffing and patient safety issues.

"Faulkner nurses have waited far too long for the respect and safe patient care conditions they deserve," said Dan Rec, a Faulkner RN and Co-Chair of the MNA Bargaining Committee. "We are seeking to halt the negative pattern of Faulkner nurses receiving non-competitive pay, leading to understaffing, danger, and stress."

"It is time that MGB invests equally in Faulkner nurses to stem the staff losses that lead to chronic understaffing and patient safety concerns," said Kathy Glennon, a Faulkner RN and Co-Chair of the MNA Bargaining Committee. "We are eager to get to the bargaining table on Monday and reach an agreement. If not, Faulkner nurses are prepared to schedule and hold a one-day strike."

If scheduled, the one-day strike date will be announced to the public once the hospital has been given the 10-day notice required by law. Faulkner nurses would then plan to hold a 24-hour strike unless Faulkner agreed to a fair contract by that strike date.

Why Faulkner Nurses Deserve Brigham Wage Parity

Nurses at Faulkner Hospital currently make significantly less than nurses at Brigham and Women's Hospital. Yet MGB treats the Faulkner like it is part of the Brigham. Faulkner patient care and working conditions are just as challenging, and the hospital has dozens of vacant nursing positions.

• MGB promotes Faulkner using the BWH name. In press releases and announcements, it uses the term "the Brigham family." 
  • In September 2023, the hospital celebrated the 25-year relationship between Faulkner and BWH by saying, "This integration has allowed BWFH to become vitally important to the work of the Brigham family…"
  • Faulkner and Brigham's internal medicine residency program, general surgery program, and surgical chief resident rotation have been integrated for more than 20 years.
  • Faulkner is home to numerous BWH institutions, including the BWH Comprehensive Spine Center, the BWH Sleep Medicine and Endocrinology Center and the BWH Department of Orthopedic Surgery.
• Many staff who work at the Faulkner are employed by BWH, including at physician offices and the Mohs and Dermatologic Surgery Center.
  
  
• The Brigham pays nurses the BWH MNA salary scale at other off-site locations, including the BWH Health Care Center 850 Boylston St. and the joint BWH/MGH health center in Foxborough.
  
  
• In some cases, management oversees Faulkner staff from offices at the Brigham, including a Brigham-based director who supervises Faulkner operating room assistants and Samantha Rowley, Vice President of Perioperative Services.
  
  
• BWH is even sending robots to Faulkner! A surgical robot has been accompanied by related cases coming from the Brigham.

MGB Financial Highlights

• MGB made $579 million system-wide in profits during the fiscal period ending December 31, 2023, according to the Center for Health Information and Analysis. Faulkner Hospital made $9.5 million in profits during that period.
• Anne Klibanski, MGB's president and CEO, made a nearly 25% salary increase from 2020 to 2021, going from $4.3 million to more than $5 million.
• MGB is spending $2 billion expanding Mass General Hospital and Faulkner Hospital. This follows construction of a $465 million HQ in Somerville and a reported $100 million rebranding campaign.

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Founded in 1903, the Massachusetts Nurses Association is the largest union of registered nurses in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Its 25,000 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.

SOURCE Massachusetts Nurses Association