The federal charge was filed as Brigham nurses prepare to return to bargaining on August 6 with a focus on improving patient care by limiting temporary nurses

The Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA) has submitted a second unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board against Brigham and Women's Hospital. The filing follows the nurses' July 8 strike and the hospital's four-day lockout after management retaliated against nurses for exercising their protected right to join the historic strike.

The charge explains that after the strike and lockout, hospital leaders altered schedules on the 3BC unit. This required roughly 75 of the unit's 100 nurses to switch to every-other-weekend shifts instead of every third weekend. The 3BC unit serves as a medical intensive care area. The change occurred after the strike and represents retaliation for nurses using their legal right to strike.

"For years, nurses on this unit have earned every-third-weekend schedules through seniority," said Kelly Morgan, RN, Chair of the Brigham MNA Bargaining Committee. "Many of these nurses have not been required to work every other weekend in more than a decade. There has been no increase in patient demand, no increase in staffing needs, and no operational reason for this drastic change. This is clearly retaliation against Brigham nurses after the hospital forced a strike by refusing to negotiate over key patient care-related issues."

This filing is the second unfair labor practice charge filed by Brigham nurses against the hospital since the strike and lockout. On July 23, the MNA filed a charge noting that the hospital blocked neonatal intensive care unit nurses from leaving to join the strike on July 8. The new charge arrives as Brigham nurses prepare to resume bargaining on August 6.

Nurses continue urging MGB to reach a fair contract that boosts patient care, aids recruitment and retention, restricts reliance on temporary nurses, safeguards affordable health insurance, and delivers meaningful cost-of-living wage increases. MGB has declined to negotiate on many core priorities raised by nurses.

"Rather than respecting and negotiating with nurses who stood up for their patients and their profession, MGB continues to respond with retaliation and intimidation," Morgan said. "The hospital's actions are unacceptable and only make it more difficult to recruit and retain the experienced permanent nurses our patients deserve."

The two unfair labor practice charges follow soon after Brigham nurses returned to talks after the largest nurse strike and lockout in Massachusetts history. During July 21 negotiations, nurses urged MGB to agree to meaningful limits on temporary nurse use, stressing that continuity from experienced permanent staff protects patients. MGB refused to discuss the matter.

"Our focus remains on reaching a fair agreement that benefits nurses and patients," Morgan said. "We hope MGB comes to bargaining on Thursday prepared to negotiate instead of continuing a pattern of retaliation and obstruction."

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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