BMC South caregivers argue that the administration's ultimatum approach during talks reveals a lack of appreciation for staff efforts and harms the hospital's capacity to attract and keep personnel needed for safe care in their underserved community

PRNewswire -- The 475 registered nurses and health professionals represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association at BMC South (formerly Good Samaritan Medical Center) will conduct an informational picket on Monday, June 8, urging Boston Medical Center executives to halt bullying methods and restart negotiations toward a fair deal that supports staff, patients and the vulnerable Brockton community.

Informational Picket Details

Date: Monday, June 8, 2026
Time: 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Location: Outside the Hospital at 235 North Pearl St. (at the entrance driveway on Oak St near North Pearl St.)

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

The choice to picket comes after a strong 96% vote by BMC caregivers rejecting what BMC leaders described as their final offer. The rejection follows nine months of talks in which management spent time pushing demands to remove the staff pension, sharply reduce paid time off and further reduce hospital staffing. Although executives dropped most of those ideas, they kept proposals that would transfer thousands of dollars in yearly health insurance costs to staff, provide wages that do not match living costs, and leave staff delivering care amid poor staffing levels.

"Through this picket we send a clear signal that the BMC proposal and the forceful way it was presented is unacceptable to staff who remained through years of upheaval and ongoing shortages," said Maureen Healy, RN, a longtime nurse at BMC South and co-chair of the MNA local bargaining unit. "Our members and the people we serve deserve better, and with public backing we hope to persuade management to return to the table and complete this process with respect."

BMC South staff continue to report daily for the demanding work of caring for the most vulnerable community members while facing a management style that is dismissive of concerns about the difficult conditions created by BMC leadership. Patients and providers at BMC South expect respectful treatment and the resources required to serve one of the Commonwealth's most vulnerable populations, yet BMC has not delivered.

Safe Staffing Remains Central to Nurses' and Health Professionals' Effort

Compounding the issue is BMC South executives' ongoing failure to follow agreed staffing guidelines that set nurse numbers per unit and limits on patients per nurse. This includes cancelling shifts even when below required levels and when up to 100 patients await care in the emergency department, including critically ill patients boarding in the ED and trauma cases. For instance, when rules call for 17 nurses in the ED, BMC often schedules only nine, ten or eleven, which affects care quality for all patients.

Staff have recorded these problems and filed hundreds of reports on unsafe staffing and reduced care quality due to management's refusal to meet established rules. The MNA recently filed complaints with the Department of Public Health and the Federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services requesting an investigation, supported by 245 signed unsafe staffing reports including 71 cases where care was hindered.

This situation follows years of dedication by BMC South staff to serve their community after the Steward Healthcare collapse, the 2022 Norwood Hospital flood closure and the 2023 Brockton Hospital fire. Those events brought more patients to an already short-staffed ED while staff worked to maintain safety. Under new ownership claiming to prioritize vulnerable communities, staff hoped for improvement, yet conditions have not advanced and in many areas have declined as BMC fails to meet basic staffing needs.

Staff have also sought to expand the health insurance network because many report trouble locating in-network physicians for themselves and families. BMC manages its own self-insured plans, and employees note that the Select Plan used by most insured staff has not grown its provider network since the purchase of BMC South and BMC Brighton a year and a half ago. These concerns, along with three years of proposed wage increases below inflation and daily staffing shortfalls, raise worries about possible large staff departures if the proposals take effect.

The MNA bargaining committee has highlighted more than $400 million in state public funds given to BMC to cover early costs of acquiring the former Good Samaritan and St. Elizabeth's centers in calls for a more balanced agreement. While staff recognize BMC's current challenges, they note that BMC South has long ranked among the state's top five most profitable hospitals and with fair investment in staff they stand ready to help restore that standing.

How Negotiations Reached This Stage

In February the nurses voted 99% to authorize a strike on these matters. On April 20 they gave formal notice of a three-day strike set for April 30 through May 3. On April 23, after discussions with local, state and federal officials, the MNA withdrew the strike notice on the understanding that executives would resume talks on April 28 with openness. That day's session produced some progress via off-the-record proposals and ended with the MNA encouraging continued productive discussions. Yet after 8 p.m. BMC management emailed that negotiations had ended and attached a take-it-or-leave-it final offer, warning that failure to accept within less than three days without changes would lead to reduced wage offers by removing retroactive pay for the first six months.

In the following week the MNA and BMC management negotiated with BMC Brighton nurses who had also authorized a strike. Despite similar issues there was no ultimatum and talks advanced to a tentative agreement reached on May 6 (ratification vote set for June 10). The final offer for BMC South is more than $10 per hour below the recent agreement with BMC Brighton RNs.

BMC South negotiating team members attended the BMC Brighton sessions and, with MNA staff, noted the contrast in tone and treatment. After that agreement, talks with BMC South were expected to resume, yet the offer was rejected.

"They treat us as adversaries requiring threats and disrespect," explained Liz Erwin, RN, the other co-chair. "We have remained for our community through the pandemic and the Steward decline. We are proud and resilient and will not accept bullying." The team chose to bring the matter to members for their response to the treatment.

The nurses and health professionals of BMC South care for communities with high Medicare and Medicaid coverage and often complex medical needs that require proper staffing and resources. They worry that without a contract supporting recruitment and retention the communities will continue facing consequences of long-term neglect.

"When BMC management selects cuts instead of care we must stand together for ourselves and patients," said Erwin. "Our recent vote shows we will not let BMC's rigid positions harm patient safety or diminish the daily efforts of staff who have remained through difficult times. We take this stand to protect patients and community."

After the picket the parties are scheduled to resume negotiations at MNA Headquarters in Canton on June 16.

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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