Lapeer, MI – Registered nurses at McLaren Lapeer Region Hospital have reached a tentative contract agreement after months of bargaining and a previous unanimous vote to give their bargaining team the ability to call for a strike if necessary.

“Nurses care deeply about the future of our hospital and our patients,” said Carie Babcock, RN, a nurse at McLaren Lapeer and president of their local Michigan Nurses Association (MNA) bargaining unit.  “That’s why we have stayed strong and united in advocating for what our patients need in terms of safe, high-quality care, and what nurses need to be able to do our jobs. This tentative agreement achieves our members’ goals when it comes to staffing the hospital safely and providing compensation that will recruit and retain nurses in our community.”

About 250 RNs work at McLaren Lapeer. Their previous contract expired May 9.

No additional details of the tentative agreement, which was reached Saturday, will be publicly released until after the membership has had a chance to review and vote on it. The agreement only becomes final if ratified by the membership. A ratification vote is scheduled for Thursday; results will be publicly released Friday.

Nurses held an informational picket last month with more than 100 people in attendance.

“We want to thank the community for supporting us – they understand that nurses’ working conditions are their care conditions,” said McLaren Lapeer nurse Ashley Witmer, RN. “Through our solidarity over these past months and our willingness to do whatever it takes, my colleagues and I are acting collectively to put patients first. This tentative agreement makes me hopeful that we can now move forward and keep the focus on making our hospital the best it can be for our community.”

The Michigan Nurses Association is the largest and most effective union for registered nurses and healthcare professionals in Michigan. MNA is an affiliate of National Nurses United and the AFL-CIO.  
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