More than 475 registered nurses and healthcare workers at BMC South in Brockton, Mass., who are represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association have issued a notice for a three-day strike.

Five things to know:

1. The 10-day strike notice was issued for the morning of April 30 to the morning of May 3, according to an April 20 news release from the Massachusetts Nurses Association that was shared with Becker’s.

2. The notice comes after months of negotiations and as negotiations have stalled over “poor staffing conditions,” the release said. The union said it plans to strike over health benefits cuts, proposals for three-year raises that are lower than inflation and proposed staffing cuts that could create a “mass exodus of staff” if put into effect.

“We do not want to strike,” Maureen Healey, RN, BMC South nurse and MNA committee co-chair, said in the release. “But BMC management has left us with no other choice. They won’t hear us. They don’t believe us when we say that the contract improvements we are fighting for are necessary to keep patients safe.”

3. Boston-based BMC Health System assumed operations of BMC South in October 2024. The hospital was formerly known as Good Samaritan Medical Center under Dallas-based Steward Health Care. A system spokesperson said the hospitals — including BMC Brighton in Boston, which it also stepped in to operate 18 months ago — are in a “challenging financial position.”

4. BMC Health System said in an April 20 statement shared with Becker’s that the union’s plan to strike is disappointing considering ongoing crises, including a cybersecurity incident at Signature Brockton Hospital and an electrical fire at BMC Brighton that disrupted operations, adding that the decision to strike puts patient access at risk.

The union said it delayed issuing the notice in wake of the fire to prevent further disruption to patient care.

5. The BMC Health System spokesperson said the system is committed to reaching an agreement on a fair contract with competitive wages and benefits.

“We know that solving the challenges facing these hospitals requires continued investment in our workforce,” the spokesperson said. “At the same time, we have been transparent about our financial position and strategy for maintaining high-quality care in partnership with our care teams. A contract that is financially sustainable in the long term is required to support our recovery.”

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