OSF HealthCare St. Francis Hospital & Medical Group and the Michigan Nurses Association (MNA) have ratified a new contract. The hospital’s registered nurses represented by the Michigan Nurses Association voted to accept the new three-year collective bargaining agreement.
OSF St. Francis Hospital leadership said they are pleased to have a new contract in place that benefits patients, nurses and the hospital. “It’s really a good feeling knowing we have reached an agreement that everybody is happy with,” said Lacey Crabb, vice president, chief nursing officer of patient care services at OSF St. Francis, “I’m proud of our team of nurses and the care they provide to our community, and I look forward to our continued work together.”
Nurses voted on the new contract Tuesday evening following the tentative agreement between OSF St. Francis and the Michigan Nurses Association during their last negotiation session on June 26.
Statement from the Michigan Nurses Association:
By an overwhelming majority, nurses at OSF St. Francis Hospital in Escanaba ratified a three-year contract last night. Nurses had been in contract negotiations since April 1.
“This is a fair contract that will be good for nurses, our patients, and our community,” said Sara Kofsky, RN and president of the local MNA union. “We believe that this will help us recruit and retain experienced nurses and make sure that patients always come first.”
In the ratified contract, all OSF St. Francis nurses were able to secure raises to bring up historically low salaries to be competitive with other hospitals in the area. Nurses had previously said that recruiting and retaining RNs was a key priority during the contract negotiations.
“Our community supported us every step of the way,” said Laura Vizineau, RN. Over 50 local businesses displayed signs in support of OSF nurses. “We are truly grateful.”
Over 130 nurses work at OSF St. Francis in Escanaba. The newly ratified contract takes effect immediately.
