Here is your Monday afternoon roundup, with one story from Boston, one from across the country and one from overseas. If you are voting tomorrow, our Election Day guide has polling hours, ID rules and the nine ballot questions in plain words.
Boston: Brigham and Women's nurses give notice of an open-ended strike on Nov. 12
More than 4,000 nurses at Brigham and Women's Hospital have scheduled an open-ended strike to begin Thursday, Nov. 12, at 7 a.m., unless they reach a contract deal first. The Massachusetts Nurses Association, the union that represents them, issued the required 10-day strike notice on Sunday, Nov. 1.
According to WBUR, it would be the largest strike in state history. The nurses walked out once before, in July, but that was a one-day strike, which the hospital followed with a four-day lockout. An open-ended strike has no set end date.
The nurses voted on Oct. 23 to reject what Mass General Brigham called its "last, best, and final" offer. The union says it wants limits on temporary nurses, a float differential, more health insurance choices and a more competitive wage scale. "We are ready to strike but are equally prepared to negotiate a fair contract that protects patient care, respects nurses, and averts the strike," said Kelly Morgan, a labor and delivery nurse who chairs the union's bargaining committee.
The hospital said it is "prepared to continue providing safe, high-quality care throughout any work stoppage." It said the remaining disagreements are about pay and benefits, including wages and health insurance, and that no patient or workplace safety proposals are still unresolved. Its latest offer, from Oct. 10, keeps the existing 5% step increases and adds a new 2.5% top step in each year of the contract for nurses at the top of the scale.
The two sides are set to return to the bargaining table on Monday, Nov. 9, with a federal mediator, NBC Boston reports. That leaves three days before the planned walkout. If your family has appointments, a delivery or a procedure coming up at the Brigham, keep an eye on updates from the hospital and your care team over the next week.
National: A Democratic rival endorses the Republican against Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan
One of the most closely watched Senate races in the country took a sharp turn on Sunday, two days before Election Day. U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, who lost the Democratic primary to Abdul El-Sayed, endorsed his Republican opponent, Mike Rogers, after attending a Detroit church service with him, the Associated Press reported.
El-Sayed, a Muslim physician, is the Democratic nominee. AP says the result could help decide which party controls the Senate.
In a video posted Sunday, Stevens said, "Our Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, Abdul, said that I was no longer welcome in his campaign and that I should stay away. And he's right, and that's why I am endorsing Mike Rogers." ABC News reports that the two had seemed to make peace after a bitter primary. A new dispute broke out in recent days after Stevens asked El-Sayed to disavow an ad by an outside group that she called antisemitic. As recently as last week, Stevens had told CNN she would vote for the Democratic nominee.
The response was quick. Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel said Stevens is no longer a member of the state party, The Washington Post reported. El-Sayed brushed off the endorsement after a church service of his own on Sunday. "At the end of the day, I actually don't think about Haley Stevens," he told reporters. On Monday, AP reported, El-Sayed and other Michigan Democrats worked to shift attention back to getting voters to the polls.
International: Russian bombs kill at least 24 at an aid center in southern Ukraine
At least 24 people were killed Monday when Russian bombs hit a humanitarian aid center in the village of Komyshuvakha, in Ukraine's southern Zaporizhzhia region, the BBC reported. Ukraine's state emergency service said the dead include two rescuers and four police officers. Five people were injured, and 27 people were initially reported missing.
The regional governor, Mykhailo Semikin, said at least nine 3,000-kilogram aerial bombs hit the village. President Volodymyr Zelensky said the first strike hit a local school being used for humanitarian aid. A second strike then hit the place where people were sheltering. Zelensky called the attack "utterly horrific" and said residents "received humanitarian aid there every week." Rescue teams had to pause their work several times because of Russian drone attacks, and people were still under the rubble on Monday. The Russian military has not commented publicly, according to the BBC.
The attack came after a limited ceasefire in the neighboring Kherson region expired on Monday, AP reported. That pause had allowed aid deliveries and evacuations from front-line areas. According to the BBC, Zelensky said a recent joint Russian-Ukrainian operation to evacuate civilians from the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky, during a temporary ceasefire brokered by U.S. first lady Melania Trump, had been "a moment when the next steps could show that peace is possible." Authorities have declared Tuesday a day of mourning across the Zaporizhzhia region.
Stay connected
That's the afternoon roundup. For community gatherings, talks and family events happening around Massachusetts this week, see the Mass Halal events calendar.