UP Health System–Marquette nurses reach tentative contract agreement

5 months ago

MARQUETTE, Mich. (WLUC) - UP Health System–Marquette nurses reached a tentative contract agreement Sunday after months of bargaining.

According to a press release from the health system, the agreement provides significant gains in wages, addresses staffing concerns, and enables nurses to keep their current health insurance.

“We are proud of our union solidarity that brought us to the point of reaching a tentative agreement that we can unanimously recommend to our members,” said Christina Hanson, RN, president of the RN Staff Council at the hospital. “The community’s outpouring of support lifted us up as we focused on making our local hospital even better. We achieved our priorities of competitive wages to attract and retain nurses, as well as strong new staffing language to protect patients. We look forward to ratifying the contract and are standing strong with our MAST colleagues as they continue to bargain with UP Health System.”

Since March, about 600 UPHS–Marquette workers had been bargaining over two separate contracts – one for the RN Staff Council and one for the Marquette Ancillary Staff and Technologists. The two unions are part of the Michigan Nurses Association.

The nurses’ tentative contract agreement is not final until the union’s members vote on it Sept. 4 and 5.

“Our nurses play an incredibly vital role in the delivery of healthcare at our hospital, so we could not be more pleased to have reached a tentative agreement that meets the collective needs of our staff, the hospital and the community,” said Tonya Darner, market chief executive officer of UPHS–Marquette and UPHS–Bell.

“Together, we created a tentative agreement where our partnership can flourish, fostering an environment that values collaboration and enhances the quality of care for our community. We are grateful to everyone involved for their dedication to reaching a positive outcome. We remain committed to creating an excellent workplace for our employees and delivering the highest quality care to our patients.”

The nurses’ tentative agreement includes:

Guaranteed wage increases of 18.75% over four years to bolster recruitment and retention at the U.P.’s largest hospital;
A new joint committee of hospital representatives and union nurses that will review the hospital’s staffing plans and address staffing issues;
Inclusion of staffing in the union’s grievance process; and
Continuation of the nurses’ current health insurance.

MAST, the techs’ union, will continue bargaining Sept. 2 and 3 as planned.“MAST members are happy for our nurse colleagues, who are building on nearly 60 years as a strong union with this tentative agreement,” said Josh Bowman, a medical laboratory scientist at the hospital, president of MAST and an MNA board member. “We look forward to returning to the bargaining table and we hope UP Health System shows a willingness to respect our priorities – including fair health insurance – so we can reach a tentative agreement that serves our members and our community well.”

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