Nearly 2,000 nurses at Boston Medical Center are casting ballots this week on whether to authorize a strike, a vote that continues through Thursday and follows six months of stalled contract negotiations between the hospital and the union. Nurses at BMC and the affiliated Brockton Behavioral Health Center say they are seeking higher wages and a safer workplace, according to the union representing them.
The nurses are represented by 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, as reported by WCVB. The vote concerns a possible strike, while federal law requires unions representing healthcare workers to give hospitals at least 10 days written notice before any picketing or walkout can begin, according to the National Labor Relations Board.
The bargaining has been building for months. The BMC Union Coalition, which represents more than 7,000 employees across the hospital system, announced multi-union negotiations, per 1199SEIU. Those talks have now stretched past the six-month mark without a deal.
Executive Pay Becomes a Flashpoint
Money at the top of the organization chart has become a central grievance for rank-and-file workers. During a joint informational picket outside BMC's main campus in July, healthcare unions raised concerns about frontline caregivers' wages. Separately, the Massachusetts Nurses Association reported that hospital executives had received salary increases totaling $4.56 million, including an estimated 44.9% increase in C-suite raises. The one-day picket brought together 1199SEIU, MNA, and resident physician union members, the union said.
Boston's City Council weighed in on the dispute in July as well, voting 11-0 to pass a resolution supporting BMC nurses and calling on hospital management to grant pay parity with other major Boston-area medical centers. Municipal leaders called for pay parity with peer academic hospitals in the city, according to Universal Hub.
Part of a Bigger Wave of Hospital Labor Unrest
The BMC vote lands amid a broader stretch of healthcare labor turmoil across eastern Massachusetts this year. More than 4,000 nurses at Brigham and Women's Hospital carried out a one-day strike in July that was followed by a four-day hospital lockout — what CBS News described as the largest nursing labor dispute in Massachusetts history, after parent system Mass General Brigham brought in temporary replacement workers under five-day guarantees.
BMC's Brighton and South facilities faced scheduled nurse and service-worker strikes in April and May 2026 before the strike notices were rescinded. The union reported labor activity at BMC's Brighton and Brockton facilities. Hoodline covered the run-up to those negotiations in Brockton BMC Workers Slam Brakes on Strike, when nurses at BMC South in Brockton had filed a formal 10-day strike notice, while service workers had voted to authorize a one-day walkout as negotiations were paused.
A Safety-Net Hospital Under Pressure
Boston Medical Center Health System's footprint has grown considerably in recent years. The system expanded its regional footprint after its 2024 acquisition of former Steward Health Care facilities in Brighton and Brockton, state officials having urged BMC to take over the community hospitals to prevent losses in healthcare access, according to Becker's Hospital Review.
Boston Medical Center is part of the hospital system. The hospital is a safety-net institution.
The union's push at BMC also fits into the broader context for 1199SEIU.
For now, the outcome at BMC remains a question of whether nearly 2,000 nurses will give their bargaining committee the leverage of a strike threat. The vote continues through Thursday, and even if it passes, any actual walkout would still require the mandatory 10-day notice to hospital leadership before nurses could hit the picket line.
