UPHS-Marquette is pictured. (Journal file photo)

MARQUETTE — UP Health System – Marquette and Registered Nurses with the Michigan Nurses Association have reached a tentative contract agreement after months of bargaining.

The agreement provides significant gains in wages, addresses staffing concerns and enables nurses to keep their current health insurance.

Since March, around 600 UPHS-Marquette workers have 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.

“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 and president of the RN Staff Council at the hospital, in a Monday press release. “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.”

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.

• Continuation of the nurses’ current health insurance.

The nurses’ tentative contract agreement is not final until the union’s members vote on it, which will take place on 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, in Monday’s press release. “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.”

MAST, the techs’ union, will continue bargaining on 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 U.P 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.”