Marquette Mining Journal photo

MARQUETTE — Technicians with the Michigan Nurses Association and U.P. Health System-Marquette reached a tentative contract agreement last week after months of bargaining. The agreement with Marquette Ancillary Staff and Technologists and the hospital is not approved until the it’s voted on, which will happen in the near future.

“Our team fought hard to make significant progress on wages and health insurance to help not only attract new staff but, just as important, also keep the techs who currently work here,” said Josh Bowman, a medical laboratory scientist at the hospital, president of MAST and an MNA board member in a Thursday press release. “We want our hospital to be the best environment possible for workers as well as patients. The support from our community and our MNA nurse colleagues was amazing and helped us stay strong throughout negotiations. We can all be proud of this milestone.”

The agreement includes guaranteed wage increases of 18.75% over the length of the contract (four years and three months) to recruit and retain staff (including increases to premiums and differentials,) a switch to the same health insurance that the hospital’s RNs receive and improved language around incentive shifts.

“Reaching this tentative agreement with MAST demonstrates our commitment to the well-being of our workforce and long-term sustainability. Through constructive dialogue, we arrived at a solution that balances the needs of our staff, our patients and the communities we serve – all in alignment with our mission of making communities healthier,” said Tonya Darner, CEO of U.P. Health System-Marquette.

Both MAST and RNs at the hospital, where both unions are part of the Michigan Nurses Association, had been bargaining with UPHS since March. The RNs reached a tentative agreement last week and voted on ratification on Thursday and Friday of this week.

“These agreements prove that solidarity works,” said Christina Hanson, RN and president of the RN Staff Council at the hospital. “As we move forward, we are united with MAST in enforcing these contracts and holding the employer to them. We want to thank our community for supporting us. We all advocated for the best working conditions for hospital workers and their families, which ultimately leads to the best care possible for our patients.”