More than 4,000 nurses at Brigham and Women’s Hospital will begin an open-ended strike at 7 a.m. on Thursday, November 12, unless a contract is reached first. The Massachusetts Nurses Association delivered the 10-day strike notice on Sunday, November 1, after nurses rejected what Mass General Brigham called its “last, best and final” offer. Both sides go back to the table with a federal mediator on Monday, November 9, three days before the deadline.
This would be the second Brigham walkout this year and the first with no end date. Here is how it got here, what each side now says is still in dispute, what federal law allows between now and November 12, and what patients and nurses should know.
The timeline
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| July 8, 2026 | One-day strike, followed by a four-day lockout by the hospital |
| September 24 | Nurses vote 2,986 to 215 to authorize an open-ended strike, the union said |
| October 14 | Original open-ended strike date, postponed after a 13-hour bargaining session produced the “last, best and final” offer |
| October 23 | Nurses reject the offer, the union said; no vote count released |
| November 1 | Union gives new 10-day notice |
| November 9 | Talks resume with a federal mediator |
| November 12, 7 a.m. | Open-ended strike begins if there is no deal |
The dates for November are from Boston 25 News and NBC10 Boston. Earlier dates are from our prior coverage and the reporting cited there.
What is still in dispute depends on who you ask
The hospital. In a statement to Boston 25, Brigham and Women’s said: “The remaining issues at the bargaining table relate to compensation and benefits, including wages and health insurance. No patient or workplace safety proposals remain unresolved.” It said its offer “provides market-leading compensation and competitive benefits” while recognizing “the long-term financial sustainability” of the hospital, and that it is “prepared to continue providing safe, high-quality care throughout any work stoppage.”
The union. NBC10 reported that nurses are pushing for better wages, more insurance options, changes to how patient assignments are structured, and limits on how the hospital can bring in temporary nurses. “We are ready to strike but are equally prepared to negotiate a fair contract that protects patient care, respects nurses, and averts the strike,” said Kelly Morgan, a labor and delivery nurse who chairs the union’s Brigham bargaining committee.
At the center is pay. Brigham nurses get 5 percent annual step raises in their first 20 years, and the rejected offer kept those and added 2.5 percent raises for senior nurses at the top step, WBUR reported in October. The union wants across-the-board cost-of-living raises on top of the steps, Boston 25 reported. NBC10 noted that Mass General Brigham recently announced layoffs for the second time in two years.
What the law allows between now and November 12
- The 10-day notice is the rule that makes this date possible. Under the National Labor Relations Act, 29 U.S.C. § 158(g), a union must give a health care institution and the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service at least ten days’ written notice before any strike or picketing. Notice delivered November 1 makes November 12 a lawful start date. How the 10-day rule and “impasse” work.
- The union can call it off. If a tentative agreement is reached on November 9 or after, the union can cancel the strike, as it postponed the October date.
- The hospital can stay open. The hospital ran on temporary nurses in July and says it has “extensive contingency planning” for this strike.
- Nurses cannot be fired for striking. Striking is protected activity. Whether the hospital could hire permanent replacements depends on whether the strike is an economic strike or an unfair labor practice strike, a label the National Labor Relations Board decides. The union called its October strike an unfair labor practice strike. Whether this notice uses that label has not been reported. Why that label matters.
The hospital’s statement that no safety proposals remain open and the dispute is now about “compensation and benefits” is relevant to that question. An economic strike is one over wages and terms. An unfair labor practice strike is one caused or prolonged, at least in part, by the employer’s unfair labor practices. Neither side’s description decides it. The NLRB does, usually after the fact.
What patients should know
- Nothing changes before November 12. Nurses are working as usual.
- If you have a procedure scheduled on or after November 12, call the hospital to ask whether it will go ahead. The hospital is the only source for that.
- The hospital says it will stay open. In October, Mass General Brigham said it planned to bring in 1,600 to 2,000 temporary nurses, and that the state Department of Public Health would be on site daily, NBC10 reported then.
- Your patient rights do not change during a strike. What patients can expect and the rights every Massachusetts hospital patient has.
What nurses should know
Striking nurses are not paid by the hospital. Whether they can collect unemployment during a strike, and what happens to health insurance, are covered in our guide to unemployment and COBRA in the Brigham strike.
Frequently asked questions
When is the Brigham and Women’s nurses strike?
Thursday, November 12, 2026, at 7 a.m., according to the Massachusetts Nurses Association. It is open-ended and will begin only if no agreement is reached first.
Will Brigham and Women’s Hospital stay open during the strike?
The hospital says yes. It said it is prepared to continue providing care throughout any work stoppage, building on its contingency planning from the July strike.
Can the strike still be stopped?
Yes. Negotiations resume with a federal mediator on Monday, November 9. The union postponed its October strike date after a bargaining session, and it can do so again if there is a deal.
Why do hospital nurses have to give 10 days’ notice?
Federal labor law, 29 U.S.C. § 158(g), requires it for any strike at a health care institution, so the hospital can arrange care for patients. Most other private-sector unions have no such requirement.
What are the Brigham nurses asking for?
Across-the-board raises on top of their annual step increases, more insurance options, changes to how patient assignments are structured and limits on temporary nurses, according to the union as reported by NBC10. The hospital says only wages and benefits, including health insurance, remain unresolved.
Sources: Boston 25 News, November 1, 2026 (including the hospital’s statement); NBC10 Boston, November 1 and 2, 2026; WBUR on the October offer terms; 29 U.S.C. § 158(g). Earlier events are drawn from our prior coverage and the outlets cited there. General information, not legal advice.