Brigham and Women’s nurses voted to schedule a one-day strike if union contract demands are not met in upcoming negotiations, the Massachusetts Nurses Association announced.

“We do not want to have to strike but are prepared to act if MGB executives keep putting patient safety at risk by not investing in our nursing workforce,” said Kelly Morgan, a Brigham labor and delivery nurse and MNA Chair for the hospital. “We cannot continue caring for patients under these conditions, and the hospital cannot operate without its nurses.”

The nurses voted to authorize the strike by over 99% on Wednesday, 2,507 to 16, MNA reported. The vote comes after 28 bargaining sessions over 10 months and negotiating with a federal mediator since May.

The nurses are required to provide at least 10 days notice for a strike, and the strike will only take place if a deal can not be reached before the scheduled action.

Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital nurses will also vote Thursday whether or not to authorize a one day strike. Faulkner nurses are seeking wage parity with the other Brigham nurses, MNA said in a release, to address longstanding staffing and safety issues.

Brigham and Women’s nurse and secretary of the bargaining committee Sarah Bessuille said the nurses are working on some of the sickest patients in the country and in a environment with mold, mice and cockroaches and “just want to feel supported.”

“There’s a myriad of reasons, but mostly they want a safe working environment,” Bessuile said of the nurses coming in to vote . “They don’t want to feel harassed or afraid to come into work. Obviously, we all want to get paid well and have great benefits. But it’s more so, the respect from the hospital.”

A spokesperson for Brigham and Women’s Hospital said the hospital is “positioned to continue to provide the same high-quality care that patients expect” if a strike takes place.

“We made progress, reached tentative agreements on several issues, including workplace safety, and feel confident that we proposed a fair and equitable contract,” Brigham and Women’s Hospital said in a statement. “Our focus remains on supporting our nurses while providing high-quality, safe care for our patients.”

MNA listed improved staffing and patient care, health insurance choice and fair wage increases among the Brigham nurses’ priorities. The union also cited high profits at the hospital system, including the Mass General Brigham CEO Anne Klibanski’s recent wage increase from $4.3 million in 2020 to over $5 million in 2021.

“It’s been almost a year at this point,” said Bessuile. “And we all just want to go back to our lives, spend time with our patients, our families, not take time off of work to argue about what we deserve.”