Munson Healthcare and the Traverse City Munson Nurses Association (TCMNA) have reached a tenative contract agreement, both parties confirmed Wednesday.

TCMNA said the tentative agreement followed a 20-hour bargaining session that ended early Wednesday morning. The nurses have been working without a contract since it expired March 10, according to TCMNA.

Details of the tentative agreement will not be released publicly until after the members vote on it next week, but "broadly speaking it includes competitive wage increases, guardrails around AI and technology, (and) protected retirement contributions by the employer," TCMNA said.

“We are excited to bring this agreement before our fellow nurses because it hits on key priorities like recruiting and retaining enough nurses to provide safe care, protecting nurses’ retirement, and establishing guardrails on AI,” said TCMNA President Laura Nilsson, co-chair of the bargaining team. “We stood strong for a contract that will mean a better workplace for nurses and better care for our patients.”

TCMNA said the agreement comes "after months of negotiations and advocacy including a packed town hall, a petition signed by thousands of community members, and a practice strike by nurses." The next step is for the elected bargaining team to "share all the details of the agreement with their fellow nurses and hold the ratification vote," TCMNA said. "That will happen in sessions on Tuesday, June 9, and Wednesday, June 10." The results are expected to be released later in the day on June 10.

Munson Healthcare Chief Nursing Officer Jenn Standfest issued the following statement:

“Munson Healthcare is pleased to confirm that we have reached a tentative agreement with the Traverse City Michigan Nurses Association representing our Registered Nurses at Munson Medical Center. This milestone reflects the good-faith efforts of our teams to engage in constructive, respectful, thoughtful negotiations focused on listening to the concerns of our nurses; supporting our care teams; and continuing to deliver exceptional care to our patients and the communities we serve.

This tentative agreement will need to follow a process to be ratified by the members of the union to become our final contract. Out of respect for that ratification process, we will not be sharing specific terms of the agreement at this time. We remain committed to working together as one team in a manner that supports both our purpose to improve lives and those teammates who make it possible every day.”