IRONWOOD, Mich. (WZMQ) – Nurses at Aspirus Ironwood Hospital have voted to ratify a new union contract.
“Our goal was always to get a contract that supports Ironwood nurses so we can recruit and retain the skilled nurses our community needs,” said Sarah Trudgeon, RN and president of the local Michigan Nurses Association (MNA) union at the hospital. “A strong nurses’ contract is a big part of protecting access to health care that we currently have in our area.”
“We have been so touched by our community’s support and we want to thank everyone for coming together to lift us up,” Trudgeon continued. “We will continue to advocate strongly for Aspirus to put patients first as we move forward.”
The Aspirus Ironwood nurses voted on January 14 to approve the contract, which takes effect immediately and runs through July 19, 2028.
Nurses say the agreement maintains the wage structure that rewards their experience and also guarantees annual raises across the board. It includes increased pay for on-call and night shifts, a cap on how much nurses pay for health insurance, as well as improved language around employer disclosure of workplace violence incidents.
An Aspirus Health representative sent WZMQ 19 a statement on the new contract, saying, “We are pleased that our nurse colleagues at Aspirus Ironwood have voted to ratify a new agreement, which includes both meaningful economic proposals, as well as important system-wide alignment on key components of compensation such as call pay, shift differential and charge pay. This system alignment of premiums results in increased compensation for our nurses and allows Ironwood to remain competitive in the market for recruitment and retention purposes. We are eager to move forward and further our commitment to our patients, people and communities.”
Meanwhile, MNA nurses at other Aspirus U.P. hospitals continue negotiating new contracts. Aspirus Iron River nurses will bargain again on January 27, and Aspirus Keweenaw nurses in Laurium continue bargaining on January 15. Trudgeon says the Ironwood nurses stand in solidarity with their colleagues across the Upper Peninsula.
