Members of the Michigan Nurses Association have approved a four-year contract with Ann Arbor-based University of Michigan Health that includes a $273 million compensation package.
University of Michigan Health announced the contract approval Oct. 1, about a week after both sides reached a tentative deal.
Under the deal, nurses will receive a 22.5 percent raise over the life of the contract, and each nurse will receive a $5,000 bonus, according to the university's news release. The contract also includes a new salary step model for nurse practitioners; the elimination of mandatory overtime for most units, except for defined emergency situations; and expanded staffing guidelines.
"We are grateful that our nurses choose to work and build their careers at University of Michigan Health," Marschall Runge, MD, PhD, CEO of Michigan Medicine and dean of the university's medical school, said in the university's news release. "We are pleased to offer a very competitive package that recognizes the value our nurses bring to our patients and our organization."
The contract affects the union's largest bargaining unit, the University of Michigan Professional Nurse Council, which represents about 6,200 nurses throughout the university. Nurses had been working without a contract since July. The new deal runs through March 31, 2026.
"This contract provides important investments in nurses and protections for patients that MNA-UMPNC nurses and our community fought hard for over the past six months," Renee Curtis, RN, president of MNA-UMPNC, said in an Oct. 2 news release. "We're excited about being able to hold the employer accountable for safe nurse-to-patient ratios and end dangerous mandatory overtime. Strong wage increases and bonuses will help attract and retain the nurses we need to take care of our patients."