A unionization effort by cancer clinicians at Somerville, Mass.-based Mass General Brigham is on hold as the health system seeks a review of the proposed bargaining unit’s structure from the National Labor Relations Board.
A majority of the nearly 200 advanced practice providers at the Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute — including nurse practitioners and physician assistants — filed a petition with the NLRB in January seeking a union election.
The clinicians first requested voluntary recognition from leadership before filing for an NLRB-administered election, according to a Jan. 29 news release from the Massachusetts Nurses Association.
The election has not yet been scheduled. The NLRB is reviewing the structure of the proposed bargaining unit before setting a vote, MNA spokesperson Joe Markman told Becker’s.
Mr. Markman said Mass General Brigham’s challenge could delay the process or result in smaller bargaining units. He added that clinicians involved in the effort believe the proposed unit is appropriate and called the system’s review request “a common union-busting tactic.”
Compensation has emerged as one concern among clinicians. Some told The Boston Globe in a March 23 report that pay has not kept pace with responsibilities or with salaries at Boston-based Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
The unionization effort comes as Mass General Brigham and Dana-Farber prepare to end their longtime partnership. Dana-Farber is ending its partnership with Boston-based Brigham and Women’s Hospital and plans to build a freestanding inpatient cancer hospital with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, also of Boston.
In a statement shared with Becker’s, Mass General Brigham said it asked the NLRB to review the bargaining unit’s structure to ensure it aligns with existing rules under the National Labor Relations Act.
“The MNA’s petition seeks to combine employees across 12 different sites and includes only portions of certain roles at acute-care hospitals, contrary to established labor law standards that apply to such hospitals,” the system said.
Mass General Brigham said it is participating in the NLRB process to seek clarity and is continuing efforts to “remove barriers, simplify workflows and improve our workplace” while the review is underway.
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