Home / Health / BMC Nurses Avert Strike with New Contract Deal
BMC Nurses Avert Strike with New Contract Deal
10 Oct
Summary
- Nearly 2,000 BMC nurses ratified a new three-year contract.
- The agreement includes significant pay increases over previous proposals.
- The contract averted a potential strike at New England's largest safety net hospital.
Nurses at Boston Medical Center have successfully ratified a new three-year contract, narrowly avoiding a strike. The agreement, approved by over 80 percent of the nearly 2,000 union members who voted, includes substantial pay raises, totaling $3.1 million more than the hospital's previous wage proposal.
This outcome follows months of tense negotiations and a previous vote by nurses in the 1199 SEIU union to authorize a strike. The nurses sought better pay and staffing conditions amidst the hospital's reported financial struggles, including operating losses of $41.7 million in the first half of its fiscal year. The new contract aims to address these concerns.
The agreement ensures hourly wages for first-year nurses will increase from $38.05 to $42.63 over the first two years, aligning with starting rates at nearby medical centers. It also imposes limits on the use of traveling nurses, reassignment of nurses, and freezes parking rates through 2027.
Meanwhile, nearly 4,000 nurses at Brigham and Women's Hospital are preparing for a potential strike on October 14th over stalled contract negotiations, highlighting ongoing labor challenges in the region's healthcare sector.
