Nurses have ratified a contract agreement with Ann Arbor-based Michigan Medicine.
The three-year deal covers more than 5,700 nurses represented by the Michigan Professional Nurses Council, an affiliate of the Michigan Nurses Association. It includes pay raises of 3 to 4 percent, up from increases of about 1 percent the past four years, according to hospital officials. It also includes paid parental leave, more money for tuition reimbursement and professional development, and reductions in mandatory overtime.
"This ratification is good news for the entire Michigan Medicine community: our nurses, our patients and all of our staff. We are grateful to all who worked tirelessly to bargain a fair agreement," David Spahlinger, MD, president of Michigan Medicine and executive vice dean for clinical affairs of the University of Michigan medical school, told Becker's in a statement.
"Our top priority is to ensure our patients receive the highest quality of care. Our nurses are critical to that goal, and this contract reflects our interest in moving forward together. We believe this agreement will help us retain and recruit excellent nurses," he said.
Union officials also spoke positively of the deal.
Katie Oppenheim, RN and chair of UMPNC, said: "Our members are extremely proud of the contract that we achieved through collective action. Because we stuck together, we won staffing language with enforceable commitments and procedures. Nurses will have an effective means of ensuring that staffing decisions are always based on patient care."
Ratification of the new contract comes after both sides reached a tentative agreement Sept. 28.
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