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Thousands of union nurses and healthcare professionals at UM Health-Sparrow in Lansing have successfully negotiated for higher wages, better benefits, and workplace protections.
LANSING—The labor union that represents thousands of nurses and other healthcare professionals at University of Michigan Health-Sparrow has reached a tentative agreement with their employer, effectively averting a planned, five-day strike that was set to begin on Jan. 20.
The Professional Employee Council of Sparrow Hospital-Michigan Nurses Association (PECSH-MNA) announced the preliminary agreement on Tuesday after months of negotiations with corporate officials. The contract, which must still be ratified by the union’s roughly 2,000 members, reportedly includes significant gains in wages, benefits, and workplace protections.
In a statement, Dexter Baker, co-chair of the union bargaining team, said the agreement was “built on the strength and solidarity of our union, as well as overwhelming community support.”
“Our members have been very passionate about their priorities throughout these months of bargaining,” Baker said. “Our union is a democracy, and we look forward to having our members vote on whether to accept this contract agreement, which we wholeheartedly recommend.”
Highlights of the Deal
According to the union, key provisions of the new agreement include:
- Competitive wage increases, with most workers receiving between 20% and 32% raises during the contract term, along with a “significant” bonus when the contract is ratified.
- A new healthcare plan that is equal to or better than the union plan that is ending.
- New contract language that protects employees from being permanently replaced by subcontractors and ensuring open processes for filling roles.
- Extended COVID-19 protections for the duration of the new contract.
- Enhanced benefits for employees injured by workplace violence.
How’d we get here?
Collective bargaining agreements for about 2,000 PECSH-MNA members expired in October, leading into more than 300 hours of negotiations with corporate officials as union representatives tried to hammer out better wages and benefits for staff.
Those negotiations intensified in December when the union voted to authorize a strike. And the union took it a step further in January by announcing concrete dates for a five-day picket.
That planned work stoppage—which was initially set to conclude on Jan. 25—ultimately proved unnecessary, however, after a few more bargaining sessions resulted in a contract that reportedly met the union’s demands for fair wages, reliable healthcare insurance coverage, and increased safety and security features at its largest hospital in downtown Lansing.
What’s next?
With the strike now averted, attention turns to the ratification process and what union leaders hope will be a new chapter of better wages, benefits, and working conditions for employees.
Union officials said this week’s deal marks the first new contract that PECSH-MNA has negotiated since UM Health acquired Sparrow in 2023 as part of an $800 million investment.
The union will share more details of the contract with members and conduct a ratification vote. The bargaining team strongly recommends that employees vote to approve the new contract.
Corporate officials have also said that they’re “grateful” to reach a deal that “supports our nurses and health care professionals and our mission to provide patients with safe, quality care.”
“We are confident this agreement will help to attract and retain top talent across our units and ensure leading wages and benefits for our team,” hospital officials told Michigan Advance.
READ MORE: Mid-Michigan nurses union to strike amid call for higher wages
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