According to the Massachusetts Nurses Association the results of a vote taken by nurses at Brigham Women's Hospital to authorize a one-day strike protesting executive salaries and reduction of nurse staffing in critical areas will be announced Monday evening at 9 p.m.
Nurses represented by the Nurses Association are negotiating a new contract wtih the hospital and are seeking safe patient care, equal benefits for new nurses and a fair wage increase.
The vote was triggered by increasing frustration that BWH, owned by Partners HealthCare, has become less responsive to the needs of its patients and its nurses.
"This vote and potential strike is really about nurses battling corporate greed by standing up for our patients and our profession," said Trish Powers who is a Operting Room Registered Nurse and chair of the Massachusetts Nurses Association BWH bargaining unit, "The hospital is clearly more concerned about its profits and paying its executives enormous salaries than providing a safe, caring and respectful environment."
Nurses voted by secret ballot on Monday at the Inn at Longwood Medical Center and at the Massachusetts Nurses Association Headquarters.
A positive vote will only authorize the committee to call a one-day strike if and when they feel necessary. If an official strike is called, the hospital will have 10 days to agree to a fair contract settlement before the nurses strike.
