450 MGB Home Care Clinicians Strike 7 Days as Brigham Nurses End 1-Day Walkout
Updated
Updated · Boston Herald · Jul 13
450 MGB Home Care Clinicians Strike 7 Days as Brigham Nurses End 1-Day Walkout
3 articles · Updated · Boston Herald · Jul 13
Summary
450 MGB Home Care clinicians are continuing a seven-day strike through July 15 after contract talks with Mass General Brigham broke down over pay and cost-of-living increases.
MGB says its offer keeps 5% raises across the 20-step wage scale and 2.5% for top-step nurses, while the union says a 0% cost-of-living increase leaves wages trailing living costs.
4,000 Brigham and Women’s Hospital nurses are set to return Monday after a brief rally, but their one-day strike was extended by a four-day lockout ordered by MGB.
MGB has brought in more than 175 replacement home care clinicians and nearly 1,300 agency nurses, arguing the union’s proposal would lift Brigham nursing pay and benefits from about $746 million to $920 million a year.
The dispute has become a broader fight over healthcare labor costs in Massachusetts, with union leaders citing a 50% rise in living costs since 2020 and competition for nurses across hospitals.