Members of the Michigan Nurses Association have reached a tentative agreement with the University of Michigan.
The union's largest bargaining unit, the University of Michigan Professional Nurse Council, represents 6,200 nurses throughout the university, according to a Sept. 22 MNA news release. Ann Arbor-based Michigan Medicine, the university's academic medical center, has more than 24,750 employees total.
According to the union, the tentative contract "is a win for everyone who cares about nurses and the quality of care at the University of Michigan." It addresses issues such as staffing, overtime and wages.
"The agreement enables us to continue the industry-leading staffing levels that we have historically maintained, and now includes language that builds upon and more clearly defines our process for managing staffing moving forward," the university said in a statement shared with Becker's.
The statement also said the agreement ends mandatory overtime for most units "except for defined emergency situations," and includes pay raises and lump sum bonuses following ratification.
Union members reached the tentative contract after working without an agreement since July, according to the MNA release. Nurses authorized a strike about a month ago, giving the union the ability to call one. A possible strike is averted if nurses approve the tentative deal.