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Nurses Threaten Strike At Brigham And Women's Hospital

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Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Shapiro Center. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)
Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Shapiro Center. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

The Massachusetts Nurses Association has threatened a one-day strike at Brigham and Women's Hospital on June 27 if the hospital and the union can't come to an agreement on a new contract. It would be the first strike in 30 years by nurses in a Boston hospital.

The nursing union is asking for larger wage raises than the hospital has proposed, better insurance options for new nurses and a better staff-patient ratio. In a statement, Brigham and Women's Chief Operating Officer Dr. Ron Walls said the hospital has worked hard to develop a "generous wage and benefit package for every one of our nurses, despite the tremendous financial pressure in healthcare."

If the strike takes place, the hospital says it has already contracted with an outside agency to supply about 700 replacement nurses for five days to ensure continuity of care.

We hear from both sides about why this fight is so contentious.

Guests

Jim McCarthy, recovery unit nurse at Brigham and Women's Hospital, member of the bargaining committee.

Ron Walls, professor of emergency medicine at Harvard Medical School and executive vice president and chief operating officer at Brigham and Women's Health Care, which tweets @BrighamWomens.

This segment aired on June 22, 2016.

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