Hundreds of Brigham and Women’s Hospital nurses and their supporters rallied outside the medical center on Wednesday, calling for better pay, benefits, and staffing levels. Many held signs that read: “If nurses are out here, something is wrong in there,” and “A fair contract means safe patient care.”
“It’s absolute chaos,” Kerrie Young, 50, a Brigham nurse for more than 22 years, said about the hospital’s long wait times and staffing levels. “We have a lot of nurses that do pick up time; if that didn’t happen, we’d probably be down 10 nurses a shift.”
The first of May marked International Workers’ Day. For many employees, it was a day to advocate for their labor rights. The Brigham rally was among several by workers in Boston on Wednesday, including hotel employees, teachers, and drivers for Uber and Lyft. The groups called for changes, including higher wages and improved workplace conditions.
Nurses at Brigham and Women’s picketed outside the hospital for better pay and health insurance, which their union said is plagued by long wait times and additional costs. The nurses also called for more protections against assaults by patients. And they said a wage increase would help address widespread understaffing, which endangers both patients and nurses.
“If there aren’t enough nurses in the hospital, the patients aren’t going to do as well,” said Sarah Bessuille, 34, a nurse at the Brigham for 11 years. “We don’t want our patients to be harmed; that goes against our very nature as nurses.”
Some nurses said the hospital’s short staffing has meant long work days and weeks, and little to no time for bathroom or lunch breaks. But the work environment makes it difficult to secure solutions from management, employees said.
“It’s really contentious,” said Jim McCarthy, a post-anesthesia care nurse and vice chair of the Brigham and Women’s Hospital Massachusetts Nurses Association. “Anything we bring up, they don’t want to hear.”
The nurses have been in negotiations with the hospital for eight months and have seen little progress, especially when it comes to patient safety issues, according to Kelly Morgan, chair of Brigham and Women’s Hospital Massachusetts Nurses Association.
“It’s hard when you’re negotiating to try to explain to them the frustration you feel that you feel you are not taking good care of your patients,” said Robin Lucia, 60, a nurse at the Brigham for 40 years. “Words can’t describe when you feel like you couldn’t do your best ... because you didn’t have the resources, whether it’s another nurse, machinery, equipment, medication.”
In response, a Brigham spokesperson said the hospital continues to focus on having appropriate staffing. The hospital has a nurse vacancy rate of 4.45 percent, less than the national average of 11 percent, said the spokesperson, Jessica Pastore.
“We tremendously value our nurses and are committed to reaching a fair and equitable contract agreement that allows us to move forward together with patients at the center of our work,” Pastore said.
At Faneuil Hall, hundreds of hotel workers represented by UNITE HERE Local 26 rallied for higher wages and more staff, as recent staffing cuts have created difficult working conditions and a decrease in guest services, according to a union news release. Union contracts encompassing workers at multiple Boston properties, including the Sheraton Boston and the Omni Boston Hotel, are slated to expire this year.
Not too far away, a couple hundred Uber and Lyft drivers with the Drivers Demand Justice coalition lined their cars up in a parking lot and shut off their apps all at once at East Boston Memorial Park. The goal was to advocate for a ballot question that could help give ride-share drivers the right to unionize, according to a coalition news release. The plan comes as drivers report unsafe working conditions and compensation below minimum wage.
Lyft referred a request for comment to the ballot question committee Flexibility and Benefits for Massachusetts Drivers, which said 85 percent of drivers have advocated for independence and benefits, including pay above minimum wage, health care stipends, paid sick time, discrimination protection, accident insurance, and a clear way to appeal if they are deactivated.
“Instead of letting a vocal minority dominate the conversation, we should focus on how we can improve drivers’ lives without sacrificing the flexibility the overwhelming majority value most,” said spokesperson Conor Yunits.
At dozens of Boston public schools, members of the Boston Teachers Union hosted walk-ins, educating people about their proposals to meet student needs and their work toward a fair contract by holding up posters and chanting. The current contract, which represents about 8,000 educators, expires in August. The morning walk-ins took place at more than 30 schools, including Boston Green Academy and Dudley Street Neighborhood Charter School.
Boston Public Schools Superintendent Mary Skipper said the district is in weekly negotiations with the teachers union and is prioritizing larger pay increases for the lowest-wage workers.
“We have incredible respect for our educators and all that they do for our students and families, and we remain committed to this ongoing process,” Skipper said.
Esha Walia can be reached at esha.walia@globe.com.