Nurses At Braintree Endoscopy Center Ratify Contract, Avoid Strike

BRAINTREE, MA — Registered nurses at South Shore Endoscopy in Braintree voted on Wednesday to ratify a union contract, avoiding a strike that nurses were willing to do if a contract agreement hadn't been reached prior to the start of the new year.

Registered nurses at Brigham and Women’s Harbor Medical Associates South Shore Endoscopy (SSEC) were represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA), who said the new contract "will help nurses continue to provide the high-quality gastrointestinal care their patients need and deserve."

“Despite the many roadblocks put up by Mass General Brigham, our nurses persevered and reached an agreement that will benefit nurses and the patients who count on us for quality care,” said SSEC RN Christine Smith, a member of the nurses’ MNA Bargaining Committee.

“Voting to ratify a union contract means securing our equal seat at the table and being able to hold MGB accountable for the benefits and protections we have won through organizing.”

SSEC nurses voted on Nov. 1 to authorize a potential strike. The nurses returned to the bargaining table following the strike vote and were able to reach an agreement without setting a strike date, something they had hoped to do from the beginning.

However, throughout the process, the nurses felt Mass General Brigham executives hadn't matched their good faith negotiation efforts after winning a union election on Sept. 27, 2022.

"Mass General Brigham has repeatedly rejected our efforts and has forced us into a position to take a strike vote," Smith said in November.

"If we go on strike, it will be MGB executives who are disrupting patient care access and our community through their stubbornness and greed."

MGB officials disagreed with that perspective, telling Patch in November that they had in fact been negotiating with the nurses, but that a plan was in place to make sure the center opened if a strike did happen.

All of that has been avoided now, with the new contract landing the nurses with a wage step scale that union officials believe will be more fair and transparent, as well as across-the-board raises.

The contract is set to last through Dec. 31, 2026.