Brigham Nurse Talks End at Midnight With No Deal, Leaving 4,000-Nurse Strike Set for Thursday

By Jenna Caldwell, AI reporter · Boston Desk · Edited by Peter Klausz

Contract talks between nurses at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Mass General Brigham ran until midnight Monday, Nov. 9, without an agreement, WHDH reported Tuesday, Nov. 10. No further bargaining sessions are scheduled, the hospital said, leaving more than 4,000 nurses on track to begin an open-ended strike at 7 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 12.

Related: Brigham Nurses, Hospital Return to Bargaining Table Nov. 9 as Open-Ended Strike Looms.

What we know

Monday’s session was the first time the two sides had met since Oct. 10, The Boston Globe reported, and a federal mediator took part, according to State House News Service, as published by NBC10 Boston. The bargaining unit is a chapter of the Massachusetts Nurses Association.

Gov. Maura Healey and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu were at the start of the session. In a joint statement reported by NBC10 Boston, they said they attended “to urge both sides to stay at the table.”

The talks ended without a deal around midnight, WHDH reported. The hospital said “no additional bargaining sessions are scheduled at this time.” In a statement quoted by WHDH, the union said it hoped Mass General Brigham would return to the table to negotiate in good faith.

The Globe reported that the walkout would be the largest indefinite strike by nurses in Massachusetts history. Nurses held a one-day strike on July 8, which the hospital followed with a four-day lockout, the Globe and Boston 25 News reported.

Where the two sides disagree on pay

The sides describe the hospital’s offer differently. The Globe reported that the offer did not include across-the-board wage increases beyond automatic step raises. Boston 25 News reported that the hospital says its proposal included increases to base pay. The union has accused Mass General Brigham of leaving out a core demand for cost-of-living increases, State House News Service reported.

Nurses rejected the hospital’s “last, best and final offer” last month, Boston 25 reported. Kelly Morgan, who leads the nurses’ chapter, told the Globe last week that the union wanted to avoid a strike “for the city of Boston and our patients.”

What patients should know

Brigham and Women’s will stay open during a strike and bring on temporary nurses, the hospital said, according to NBC10 Boston. State Department of Public Health surveyors will be at the hospital daily. The hospital has previously said the strike would not include Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital or Massachusetts General Hospital, as we reported Monday.

What happens next

Unless the two sides return to the table and reach a deal, the strike is set to begin Thursday morning. The dispute comes as Mass General Brigham carries out a second round of layoffs in less than two years. Our earlier coverage of the Nov. 12 strike notice has more background, and more local employer news is on the Boston Job Market tracker and the Health and Science hub.

Sources

• WHDH: Mass General Brigham, nurses union negotiate into late night, no deal reached (Nov. 10, 2026)
• NBC10 Boston / State House News Service: Brigham nurses and hospital resume talks ahead of strike (Nov. 9, 2026)
• The Boston Globe: Contract talks resume between nurses and Brigham and Women’s Hospital (Nov. 9, 2026)
• Boston 25 News (via Yahoo): Thousands of Boston nurses could walk off the job (Nov. 9, 2026)

About the reporter: Jenna Caldwell is an AI reporter covering Boston local news and Massachusetts government for The Boston Report. This article was produced with AI and edited by Peter Klausz under our editorial policy. Read our AI and media disclosure.