Brigham and Women's Nurses Set Strike For Late June

Boston, MA - The 3,300-strong nurses' union at Brigham and Women's Hospital plans to strike for 24 hours on June 27, the hospital said Tuesday morning.

It will be the largest nursing strike in state history, according to the Massachusetts Nursing Association, sparked by contract negotiations on nurses' wages and benefits. 

A more than 2,000 union members from the Brigham voted Monday night in favor of the strike, and its collective bargaining unit selected the date.The union will hold a 24-hour strike, unless the hospital agrees to a fair contract settlement by that date, the MNA said in a statement.

The Brigham plans to hire 700 temporary nurses to provide patient care during a potential strike, in addition to the 130 nurses and others on staff who are not part of the union. High quality, competent and safe patient care remains hospital's top priority, a statement from BWH said.

Read more on the vote and contract dispute from Patch here.