Newton-Wellesley Hospital Nurses Vote Overwhelmingly to Authorize 1-Day Strike as they Fight MGB Health Insurance Cost Hike and Safeguard Patient Care with a Fair Contract

MNA nurses at Newton-Wellesley Hospital voted on October 22 to authorize a potential one-day strike as they advocate for nurse respect and patient safety

NEWTON, Mass., Oct. 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The approximately 1,500 registered nurses of Newton-Wellesley Hospital, represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA), voted overwhelmingly – 99% yes! – to authorize a one-day strike as they held an information picket on October 22.

Nurses are fighting for a fair contract that values the care they provide, helps ensure safe patient care, and thwarts Mass General Brigham's attempt to boost its profits through nurse health insurance cost increases. The successful vote does not mean a strike will automatically take place. The NWH MNA Bargaining Committee will schedule a strike, if necessary, based on how management proceeds in negotiations following the vote. If a strike is scheduled, the committee must provide at least 10 days' notice.

"This powerful show of unity by Newton-Wellesley nurses demonstrates our commitment to our patients and our desire to provide care in a supportive environment," said Nora Watts, NWH RN and Co-Chair of the MNA Bargaining Committee. "We are prepared to hold a one-day strike if necessary to stand strong against Mass General Brigham's attempt to improve its profits on the backs of nurses."

Despite consistently securing the most significant financial gains of any Massachusetts hospital system and paying its top executives millions of dollars annually, MGB is attempting to force health insurance price hikes on nurses who provide the high-quality, complex patient care that allows MGB to thrive. NWH nurses are fighting back against MGB's attempt to worsen their health care access through negotiations for a new MNA contract that properly values their contributions.

"Newton-Wellesley Hospital nurses came out in force today to authorize a potential strike in response to MGB's disrespect to nurses at the bargaining table," said Kathy Reda, NWH RN and Co-Chair of the MNA Bargaining Committee. "Mass General Brigham has the resources to ensure Newton-Wellesley nurses can affordably access healthcare. We call on MGB to agree to a fair contract that allows us to continue to provide high-quality patient care."

MGB Financial/Health Insurance Highlights

MGB is self-insured, meaning it funds its own health insurance plan but also collects the revenue. MGB publicly touts its growth in health insurance as part of its financial planning. In an August 2024 statement, MGB pointed to a $563 million (9%) increase in health plan premium revenue.

Before MGB self-branded its insurance plan it was Allways Health Partners and before that Neighborhood Health Plan. Originally, the plan's core business was providing Medicaid coverage to low-income residents. After the plan was acquired by then-Partners Healthcare, it changed names and sought to increase commercial presence, according to The Boston Globe.

"We expect to grow and compete with Blue Cross, Harvard Pilgrim, and Tufts in the market for the business that exists today," David Segal, then Neighborhood's chief executive told the Globe in 2018, "and we're going to be very assertive."

• MGB made $579 million system-wide in profits during the fiscal period ending December 31, 2023, according to the Center for Health Information and Analysis.
• Anne Klibanski, MGB's president and CEO, made a nearly 25% salary increase from 2020 to 2021, going from $4.3 million to more than $5 million. Klibanski now makes more than $6 million.
  
• MGB is spending $2 billion expanding Mass General Hospital and Faulkner. MGB has also spent more than $200 million on construction at Salem Hospital. This follows construction of a $465 million HQ in Somerville and a reported $100 million MGB rebranding campaign.

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Founded in 1903, the Massachusetts Nurses Association is the largest union of registered nurses in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Its 25,000 members advance the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting the economic and general welfare of nurses in the workplace, projecting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and by lobbying the Legislature and regulatory agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and the public.

SOURCE Massachusetts Nurses Association