At Dana-Farber, New Wrinkle in Region's Healthcare Struggles

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There's unrest over pay levels among nurses who work in Foxborough at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

All 31 nurses there wrote a letter in September to Dana-Farber Board Chair Josh Bekenstein asserting that they are paid 20% less than nurses who work in the same building at Patriot Place for Massachusetts General Brigham/Brigham and Women's Hospital, as well as nurses who work in satellite facilities.

Registered nurses at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute - Foxborough voted to join the Massachusetts Nurses Association in December 2024, and say the pay offer they object to was made during negotiations over their first union contract. More talks are planned on Tuesday in Foxborough.

"We want to reach a fair first contract that ensures Dana-Farber remains a leader in cancer treatment not only in Boston but across every community it serves," the Foxborough-based nurses wrote in their letter.

The union notes the dispute comes as both Dana-Farber and Mass General Brigham pursue oncology care expansions and compete for potentially hundreds of nurses to staff cancer care facilities. A union official said Friday that the top oncology nurse wage is $105 per hour at Mass General Brigham for a nurse with 20 years of experience, and that wage disparities occur along the pay spectrum for nurses with less experience.

The union also said Thursday that 34 registered nurses of Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center at Milford Regional Hospital remain committed to filing for a union election after they could not file Wednesday because the federal government shutdown has temporarily closed National Labor Relations Board offices.