Nurses at McLaren Lapeer (Mich.) Region Hospital have voted to ratify a new three-year contract, including wage increases averaging 19 percent across its lifetime.
Management at Grand Blanc, Mich.-based McLaren Health Care had been in contract negotiations with the Michigan Nurses Association for nearly four months. The union, which represents about 250 nurses at the Lapeer hospital, voted to authorize a strike in early June; however, hospital leadership said a strike was unnecessary to reach an agreement, and negotiations resumed a few days later.
In addition to the raises, the new contract will hold executives accountable to established nurse-to-patient staffing ratios by issuing fines for noncompliance, according to a June 30 news release from the union. It will also improve staffing for the emergency department, as McLaren Lapeer is the only level 2 trauma center in the area.