Newsletter June 2026
Over 4,000 Healthcare Workers Set to Go on Strike
The 4000+ MNA members of MGB Brigham and Women's Hospital as well as 450 healthcare workers of MGB Home Care have decided to go out on strike starting Wednesday July 8th. Brigham nurses are scheduled to conduct a one-day strike, while MGB Home Care clinicians are scheduled to begin a seven-day strike after more than a year of bargaining for their first contract. The nurses report that MGB has also announced a four-day lockout following their one-day strike.
Workers are fighting for:
- Safe staffing and manageable caseloads that protect quality patient care.
- Competitive wages that recruit and retain experienced healthcare professionals.
- Affordable health insurance.
- Fair productivity standards and a strong contract that respects frontline caregivers.
For those on the North Shore, the closest picket line will be at the Beverly location (152 Conant St) on July 8th. After the 8th, the picket lines will for home health workers will consolidate to just the Somerville location (399 Revolutionary Road). If MGB goes through with its lockout of the nurses after the 8th, the picket line for the hospitals will consolidate to just the main hospital location in Boston (75 Francis St.) See the flyers below for the full list of picket line locations.
Honoring Our Manufacturing Workforce Champions
The North Shore Labor Council, in partnership with IUE-CWA Local 201 and the Lynn Teachers Union, was proud to honor Michael Pickering and Michael Leone at our most recent meeting. Both Michael Pickering and Leone are longtime instructors teaching the next generation of machinists with Lynn Tech and the E-Team. They were honored for their dedication to their students and the machining profession. Through their mentorship and commitment, they established a pipeline to good union jobs by training skilled machinists, and in doing so strengthening the industrial manufacturing base and keeping good jobs in our local community.
E-Team is a program in Lynn that teaches machining, welding, and other practical skills to the next generation. The program strives to provide training to Massachusetts residents who are unemployed or underemployed at no cost to the student. Their focus on creating a highly motivated, culturally diverse, career minded individual.
The E-Team is currently preparing to graduate their 31st class, but if you’d like to learn more about how to apply for next season, you can see more information on their website: https://eteamhome.net/
Energy Justice and Offshore Wind
The NSLC is proud to announce that we're partnering with the Salem Alliance for the Environment (SAFE) to host a series of events across the north shore exploring the role offshore wind plays in a green transition. During this event, we'll be looking at the political motivations behind the federal government's attack on offshore wind energy, including in Massachusetts, and why this attack is happening amidst skyrocketing energy bills. What can working class people do to take our power back and ensure clean and accessible energy for all? What would a commitment to offshore wind energy mean for communities on the north shore? We're excited to discuss all this and more at our event on August 11th at the Lynn Music Foundation! Can't make it on the 11th? Don't worry, because we'll be hosting a similar event in both Salem and Gloucester in the coming months, so be on the lookout for more details to come!
Women’s Committee Movie Night: “She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry”
On Wednesday July 22nd, the NSLC Women’s Committee will be hosting a screening of the documentary “She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry.” The film is a documentary that resurrects the buried history of the outrageous, often brilliant women who founded the modern women's movement from 1966 to 1971. It’s an inspiring film that still resonates today with those that face gender discrimination.
The screening will be held on July 22nd at 6:30PM at the IUE-CWA Local 201 Hall in Lynn (112 Exchange St.) Spanish subtitles will be screened with the movie. Light snacks and refreshments will be provided. All are welcome so please come!
MA AFL-CIO Election Guide
Many have been asking who the preferred candidates for organized labor in the upcoming elections are later this year. We’re happy to announce that the Massachusetts AFL-CIO has put together a voter guide for some of the major elections. In particular we want to highlight the endorsement of Dan Koh for U.S. House 6th District that covers much of the North Shore. Koh, along with Senator Ed Markey, are the Massachusetts AFL-CIO’s endorsed candidates for US House and Senate respectively. To see the current list of endorsed candidates, see the resources on this page: https://massaflcio.org/political-issues-endorsements
More endorsed candidates for the North Shore will be announced in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!
Massachusetts Meetup at the AFL-CIO National Convention
In June hundreds of delegates met in Minneapolis for the AFL-CIO’s 30th national convention. During that time, delegates discussed the pressing issues facing the labor movement and the working class-writ large, voting on a slate of proposals that seek to strengthen the labor movement, protect American democracy, and put forward a new vision of grassroots power. You can read the resolutions passed by the convention using this link: https://aflcio.org/2026-resolutions
Below you can see a photo from meetup of Massachusetts union members at the convention, including some from the NSLC.
