Press Release: 4/24/2026

Brigham Nurses to Picket April 29 in Fight Against MGB Decisions that Disrespect Nurses, Impact Patients and Undermine the Future of BWH

 

04.23.2026

Brigham nurses are negotiating a new MNA contract as MGB executives make millions while imposing closures and undermining safe patient care

BOSTON, Mass. – Registered nurses at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA), will hold an informational picket on Wednesday, April 29, calling on Mass General Brigham (MGB) executives to properly value nurses and protect patient safety as corporate decisions threaten the quality and future of care at one of the nation’s premier academic medical centers.

Informational Picket Details

Date: Wednesday, April 29, 2026

Time: 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Location: Outside BWH at 75 Francis St., Boston, MA

Details: This is an informational picket, not a strike. Nurses will participate outside of working hours or during breaks and will continue to provide uninterrupted patient care.

“We are standing up together as Brigham nurses to protect our patients and the future of care at the Brigham,” said Kelly Morgan, a labor and delivery nurse and Chair of the BWH MNA Bargaining Committee. “When MGB executives close services, shift care away from this hospital and fail to invest in the nurses who provide that care, it directly impacts the quality and safety patients depend on.”

Nurses Raise Concerns About Service Closures and Corporate Priorities

Brigham nurses point to a pattern of decisions by MGB that prioritize system-wide financial strategies over patient care at BWH. While top MGB executives earned a combined $35.9 million in fiscal year 2024, MGB has:

• Closed the Weiner Center, moving specialized preoperative services to another facility and disrupting continuity of care for complex patients


• Closed the BWH Burn Unit, despite serious concerns raised by nurses and scrutiny from state regulators.


• Eliminated the Integrated Care Management Program (iCMP) at BWH and consolidated the service under MGB.

“The decision by MGB executives to close Brigham services directly affect patients and the level of care they receive,” said Jim McCarthy, a PACU nurse and Vice Chair of the BWH MNA. “Brigham nurses are speaking out because we know what it takes to deliver this care safely, and we see what’s being lost. We’re standing up now to protect our patients and the long-term strength of this hospital.”

Undervaluing Nurses Threatens Recruitment, Retention, and Patient Care

Nurses say MGB’s proposals at the bargaining table fail to support the workforce needed to sustain high-quality care, including inadequate wage proposals and increased insurance costs.

• 0% Wage Offer = Disrespectful and Undermines Patient Care
  
  
  
  • MGB is refusing to offer any wage increase for nurses below the top step. This is unacceptable and undermines recruitment, retention, and safe patient care.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  • At the same time, MGB is advertising a Chief Nursing Executive position with a salary range of $750,000 to $950,000 and a CNO position at MGH for ~$600,000.
  
  
  
  


• Health Insurance Costs
  
  
  
  • MGB is trying to increase nurses’ insurance costs at BWH, after hanging a potential tax penalty over nurses’ heads for a year because BWH’s insurance was not compliant with state law.
  
  
  
  

At the same time, MGB has reported strong financial performance, including a $59.2 million operating gain in 2025 and a $2.4 billion net margin. CEO Anne Klibanski earned $8.4 millionin fiscal year 2024. The top 14 highly paid executives listed in the MGB 990 IRS form were paid $35.9 million that year.