MARQUETTE, Mich. (WZMQ) – After months of bargaining, the RN Staff Council of U.P. Health System Marquette has reached a tentative contract agreement.
Since March, roughly 600 employees have been negotiating for two separate contracts, one for the RN Staff Council, and another for the Marquette Ancillary Staff and Technologists (MAST).
The RN Staff Council made an agreement early Sunday morning, after a roughly seventeen-hour meeting, settling with wage increases, allowing nurses to keep their current health insurance, and addressing staffing concerns.
“Our community is so amazing. I am so grateful for the outpouring of support that they have shown,” said President of the Marquette RN Staff Council, Christina Hansen. “From the messages to coming out to the rallies, to the signs, all of it has been huge.”
As the groups are separate, MAST will continue its side of bargaining on September 2 and 3, with hopes of reaching an agreement to provide fair health insurance to their contracts. Last year, the hospital started providing the tech union with a lesser health insurance plan than the RN.
“We do hope that since the hospital has moved in that direction for the RNs, they’d be willing to engage with us now,” said President of MAST, Josh Bowman. “We’re not asking for the moon, we just want health insurance that is on par with what we had a year ago.”
The RN tentative contract agreement is not final until the union votes on September 4 and 5.
