Brigham and Women's Hospital nurses reach contract deal, avoid strike

BOSTON - Nurses at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston will not go on strike after a reaching a deal on a new contract Thursday.

Two weeks ago, the union authorized a one-day strike because their negotiations with hospital administrators were deadlocked.

Pay raises, violence prevention

The Massachusetts Nurses Association said the tentative deal includes pay raises, health insurance choice, better staffing, and workplace violence prevention.

Nurses at the hospital will receive a 20% to 30% pay increase over two-and-a-half years, depending on where they are on the wage scale.

"We are so pleased to have come to an agreement with the Massachusetts Nursing Association on a new contract that recognizes the tremendous care our nurses provide each and every day to our patients and their families and reflects important agreements on issues critical to all of us, particularly in the area of workplace safety," Brigham Chief Operating Officer Kevin Giordano said in a statement Friday.

"This tentative agreement represents a significant investment by the hospital and MGB to help with recruitment and retention and improve our patient care conditions," Kelly Morgan, a Brigham labor and delivery nurse and chair of the union, said in a statement.

On July 24, Brigham nurses voted 2,507 yes to 16 no to authorize the one-day strike. The vote followed 29 bargaining sessions over 11 months.

Labor and delivery nurse Jen DeVincent told WBZ-TV she was ready to picket for one day because she wanted safety improvements at the hospital. "Everyone deserves a safe hospital to work in," DeVincent said. "The nurses deserve to be safe; our patients deserve to be safe."

The MNA said the hospital will provide annual safety training to employees and conduct facility risk assessments. Nurses who experience violence will be offered medical and/or psychological care.

Faulkner Hospital one-day strike

Nurses at Brigham and Women's Faulkner Hospital also voted to authorize a one-day strike , though a date has not been set. The union must give the hospital a ten-day notice.