Boston Medical Center nurses just voted, nearly unanimously, to authorize a strike. Nearly 90% of the roughly 2,000 nurses represented by 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East backed the move Friday, and while no strike notice has been filed yet, this is the clearest signal so far that BMC's safety-net mission and its labor relations are on a collision course.

This isn't happening in a vacuum. It comes just months after a strike at another Boston hospital rattled the region's healthcare labor landscape, and the complaints here will sound familiar: wages that haven't kept pace with the cost of living, chronic understaffing, and a reliance on expensive traveling nurses instead of investing in the people who've actually built careers at BMC. ER nurse Kerry LaBarbera's line — that over 70% of BMC's nurses have been there six years or less — is the real story. That's not a workforce, that's a revolving door, and it's patients who feel it when units are short-staffed.

The two sides are back at the table September 25, and a strike requires 10 days' notice before it can happen — meaning if talks collapse, we're looking at a walkout no earlier than early October. BMC serves a disproportionately low-income and uninsured population, so a strike here would hit differently than one at a hospital with more cushion. Watch what happens at that next bargaining session closely. Full story at WBUR →

A rough weekend for Cape Cod law enforcement. An off-duty Sandwich police officer, Matthew Cotter, allegedly crashed his BMW drunk Friday night and reportedly told a witness "I'm a cop" instead of calling for help — his arraignment was postponed to Oct. 15 after his attorney said he's now in treatment. Less than 24 hours later, a Barnstable officer directing traffic after a ZZ Top show at the Cape Cod Melody Tent was struck by an alleged drunk driver while standing in a lit crosswalk in a reflective jacket. Boston Globe →

Jury selection starts next month in the Sandra Birchmore case. Former Stoughton police detective Matthew Farwell is accused of killing Birchmore, a young pregnant woman he met through a police department youth program, and causing the death of her unborn son. The case involves allegations of grooming, child sexual exploitation, and a staged suicide scene — and raises hard questions about how the original investigation into her death was handled. Boston Globe →

Nine ballot questions are headed to Massachusetts voters in November — tying a record last set in 1994. But here's the catch: even if voters approve a proposed law, the Legislature and governor retain full power to amend or repeal it afterward, just like any other statute. Worth remembering as campaigns on cannabis, tax caps, and public defender unionization ramp up. New Bedford Light →

The statewide school cellphone ban is still stuck on Beacon Hill. Attorney General Andrea Campbell introduced a "bell-to-bell" restriction bill back in January 2025, and at least 30 states — including Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire — have already moved on similar bans. Massachusetts districts are left setting their own policies as this school year gets underway. Boston.com →

Halifax is holding the line on a single tax rate for FY27, rejecting a split rate that would've shifted more burden onto the town's small commercial base. The average single-family home assessment jumped 6.87% to about $658,000, pushing the typical tax bill up roughly $150-$160 to $7,655. South Shore News →

Whitman's Select Board narrowly backed an overhaul of its regional school agreement with Hanson — the first major update since 1992. The 3-2 vote includes new two-thirds voting thresholds for big decisions like hiring a superintendent, and folds busing costs directly into the operating budget to end the annual Town Meeting standoffs over transportation funding. South Shore News →

Sept. 25: BMC management and 1199SEIU return to the bargaining table — the outcome here likely determines whether a strike notice gets filed. WBUR →

Oct. 15: Rescheduled arraignment for Sandwich Officer Matthew Cotter in Barnstable District Court. WCVB →

Next month: Jury selection begins in the Matthew Farwell/Sandra Birchmore murder trial. Boston Globe →

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Yesterday's Biggest Contributions

Data from the MA Office of Campaign & Political Finance

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Recent filings with the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance:

Candidates

• Dale Leone (Democratic) — City Councilor, Haverhill — Filed: 9/10/2026

Ballot Question Committees

• Committee to Restrict Data Centers — N/A, No office — Filed: 9/14/2026

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