MNA: Mass General Brigham Postpones Annual Summit After MGB Nurses & Clinicians Planned to Picket Somerville Event over MGB Billionaires Refusing to Settle Fair Contracts

After MNA nurses and clinicians within the MGB system issued a picket notice for the October 7 summit, MGB announced it was postponed

BOSTON, Oct. 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The 10^th Annual Mass General Brigham (MGB) Summit has been postponed by the wealthiest hospital system in Massachusetts after nurses and clinicians represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA) issued a picket notice for the October 7 event.

The planned picket followed a 93% strike authorization vote by Brigham and Women's Hospital nurses and two days of protests against MGB billionaires outside the system's annual World Medical Innovation Forum. MGB nurses and clinicians have been engaged in a comprehensive campaign against MGB following the strikes and lockout of Brigham nurses and MGB Home Care clinicians in July.

"Mass General Brigham's postponement of its annual summit makes it abundantly clear that our organizing efforts are working," saidShannon Viera, RN, Chair of the MGB Home Care MNA Bargaining Committee. "We are united as MGB nurses and clinicians across the state demanding that the wealthiest hospital system in Massachusetts respect its workers, protect its patients, and fulfill its nonprofit mission."

MNA nurses and clinicians had planned a picket from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. outside the MGB Headquarters in Somerville on October 7 to coincide with what MGB described as an event featuring speakers who would focus on "Culture, Collaboration, and AI." Last week in the Seaport, nurses, clinicians, and supporters, including U.S. Representatives Stephen Lynch and Richard Neal, protested outside MGB's AI-focused innovation forum.

The MNA provided MGB with a legally required picket notice for the October 7 summit on September 25. On September 29, MGB SVP, Human Resources Anna Brown emailed MGB colleagues to inform them that the summit "is being postponed to a future date."

"MGB may pretend that everything is business as usual, but our protests about their corporate greed are clearly upsetting the billionaires who run MGB," said Kelly Morgan, RN, a labor and delivery nurse and Chair of the BWH MNA Bargaining Committee. "As 4,000 Brigham nurses prepare for a potential open-ended strike, we have one message for MGB: Negotiate a fair contract that protects our patients and respects the world-class care we provide."

Brigham nurses held a strike authorization vote on September 24 that was 2,986 to 215 in favor of authorizing an indefinite strike. More nurses voted yes to authorize this potential BWH strike than in any nurse strike authorization vote in Massachusetts history. The vote coincided with new information from the state showing that MGB is once again the most profitable hospital system in Massachusetts, with a total margin of $2.3 billion.

MGB has refused to negotiate after Brigham nurses held a one-day strike beginning July 8, followed by a four-day lockout imposed by MGB, and MGB Home Care clinicians held a seven-day strike. During bargaining sessions in July and August, MGB refused to move from its previously held bargaining positions at both tables. Since then, MGB has refused to return to negotiations with Brigham nurses and MGB Home Care clinicians.

Brigham nurses are seeking contract improvements that include limits on MGB's reliance on temporary nurses to support continuity and quality of care; affordable health insurance with meaningful plan choice; fair compensation for nurses required to float among units; and a cost-of-living wage increase.

MGB Home Care clinicians are fighting for their first union contract, including reasonable caseload limits that allow them to safely care for patients; clear and transparent productivity standards; and competitive wages that help recruit and retain experienced clinicians. The clinicians are not currently voting to authorize a strike.

MGB Has Billions But Refuses to Agree to Fair Contracts

Mass General Brigham is the largest and wealthiest health system in New England. In fiscal year 2025, MGB reported:

• $22.8 billion in operating revenue.
• $2.39 billion in profits.
• $1.75 billion in investment income.
• $35.8 billion in total assets.
• Nearly $9.2 million in compensation for CEO Anne Klibanski, which is a 9% increase of approximately $800,000 in one year.

MGB's Board of Directors includes billionaires, private equity executives and corporate CEOs, including individuals whose businesses intersect with the healthcare system. Read the MNA's report on MGB's wealth, power, and board conflicts. Should MGB be a non-profit?

• Scott Sperling, MGB Board Chair, is co-CEO of private equity giant THL Partners, which invests heavily in healthcare and technology.
• John Fish, Board Vice Chair, leads Suffolk Construction, which has received major MGB-related construction work, including MGB's $465 million headquarters.
• Jonathan Kraft, Board Vice Chair, oversees the Kraft family's multibillion-dollar business empire, including property at Patriot Place leased to MGB.

MGB's enormous financial resources make clear that it can afford fair contracts that protect patients, maintain stable workforces and respect the professionals who deliver care.

Learn more at www.massnurses.org/MGB.

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Founded in 1903, the Massachusetts Nurses Association is the largest union of registered nurses in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Its 26,000 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