The Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA) has filed a second unfair labor practice (ULP) charge with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against Brigham and Women’s Hospital, alleging the hospital retaliated against nurses following a one-day strike and subsequent lockout in July. The latest complaint centers on changes to work schedules in one of the hospital’s intensive care units, adding another layer to an ongoing labor dispute over staffing, workforce retention, and patient care.

The labor dispute between Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA) has escalated after the union filed a second unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), alleging that the hospital unlawfully changed work schedules in retaliation for nurses participating in a legally protected strike.

According to the filing, the dispute involves nurses assigned to the hospital’s 3BC Medical Intensive Care Unit, where approximately 75 of the unit’s roughly 100 nurses were reportedly required to shift from working every third weekend to every other weekend following the union’s one-day strike on July 8 and the hospital’s subsequent four-day lockout.

The union argues that the scheduling changes represent retaliation against employees for exercising federally protected labor rights under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). Hospital management has not publicly responded to the allegations outlined in the filing at the time of the announcement.

The latest complaint follows an earlier unfair labor practice charge submitted by the MNA on July 23, alleging that Brigham and Women’s Hospital prevented neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) nurses from leaving their shifts to participate in the strike when it began.

Labor dispute extends beyond wages

While compensation remains one component of ongoing contract negotiations, the dispute reflects broader workforce issues increasingly affecting healthcare systems nationwide.

Union representatives have identified staffing levels, recruitment and retention, reliance on temporary nurses, affordable health insurance, and cost-of-living wage increases as central bargaining priorities.

The union contends that experienced permanent nurses provide greater continuity of care than temporary staffing models and argues that limits on contract labor should be included in a new collective bargaining agreement.

Kelly Morgan, Chair of the Brigham MNA Bargaining Committee, said the schedule changes lacked operational justification and affected employees who had earned more favorable schedules through years of seniority.

Hospital administrators have previously maintained that operational decisions are necessary to ensure patient care continuity, although the current filing focuses specifically on whether scheduling changes were implemented as retaliation for protected labor activity.

Workforce retention remains a growing healthcare challenge

The dispute comes as healthcare organizations across the United States continue addressing persistent workforce shortages following several years of elevated turnover and increased reliance on temporary clinical staff.

Hospitals have increasingly adopted workforce management technologies, predictive staffing analytics, scheduling platforms, and AI-assisted labor planning tools to improve staffing efficiency while balancing patient demand, clinician well-being, and labor costs.

Enterprise workforce platforms from vendors including Workday, Oracle Health, UKG, Microsoft, and SAP SuccessFactors are being used to optimize scheduling, workforce planning, and employee engagement. However, technology alone has not resolved many of the structural workforce challenges facing healthcare providers.

Healthcare labor organizations continue arguing that sustainable staffing models require investments in recruitment, retention, workplace flexibility, and clinician support alongside technology modernization.

Contract negotiations continue

The latest filing arrives as both parties prepare to resume collective bargaining on August 6, with negotiations expected to continue around staffing policies and workforce conditions.

The union maintains that meaningful progress will require limits on temporary staffing, stronger retention initiatives, and improved working conditions designed to support experienced permanent nurses.

Healthcare executives, meanwhile, continue facing pressure to manage labor costs while responding to persistent workforce shortages, changing patient volumes, and financial pressures affecting hospitals nationwide.

According to McKinsey & Company, healthcare organizations continue identifying workforce shortages and clinician burnout as major operational risks, prompting increased investment in workforce planning and employee retention strategies. Gartner has similarly reported that employee experience and workforce resilience remain top priorities for HR leaders across industries, including healthcare.

HR implications extend beyond healthcare

The dispute also highlights the growing intersection of labor relations and workforce technology.

Modern workforce management systems provide hospitals with greater scheduling flexibility and operational visibility, but HR leaders must ensure employment practices remain consistent with labor laws, collective bargaining agreements, and organizational policies.

For healthcare HR and workforce leaders, the Brigham dispute illustrates how staffing decisions increasingly influence employee engagement, recruitment, retention, and labor relations. As hospitals continue modernizing workforce operations through digital scheduling platforms and analytics, maintaining trust between management and frontline clinicians remains essential to sustaining workforce stability and quality patient care.

Editor’s note: The allegations described in the unfair labor practice charges represent claims made by the Massachusetts Nurses Association. The National Labor Relations Board will review the filings, and the allegations have not been adjudicated.

Market Landscape

Healthcare organizations continue investing in workforce management technology as staffing shortages, clinician burnout, and labor costs reshape operational priorities. AI-assisted scheduling, workforce analytics, employee experience platforms, and predictive staffing solutions are helping hospitals optimize labor planning while improving workforce visibility. At the same time, labor relations, retention strategies, and clinician well-being remain critical challenges that technology alone cannot resolve, making workforce governance a central focus for healthcare HR leaders.

Top Insights

• The Massachusetts Nurses Association filed a second unfair labor practice charge with the NLRB, alleging Brigham and Women’s Hospital retaliated against nurses through post-strike scheduling changes.
• The complaint follows an earlier labor filing related to the July strike and lockout, extending an ongoing dispute over staffing, scheduling, and collective bargaining rights.
• Staffing, nurse retention, and reliance on temporary clinicians remain central bargaining issues, reflecting workforce challenges affecting hospitals nationwide.
• Healthcare organizations continue adopting workforce management technologies, but labor relations and employee engagement remain critical components of long-term workforce stability.
• The case highlights the importance of balancing operational workforce management with labor law compliance, particularly as digital scheduling tools become more widely used.

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