Union calls off planned nurses strike at UVM Medical Center

Late Wednesday night, the union representing nearly 2,000 nurses at the state’s largest hospital said it had reached a tentative contract with leaders at UVM Medical Center. The two sides agreed to a 23% pay increase over the next three years for nurses, nurse practitioners and licensed practical nurses who work for the hospital system.

“This is the largest wage increase nurses at UVMMC have seen in the 21 year history of the union,” according to a union press release.

The agreement comes after the union issued a five-day strike notification at the beginning of the week. Hospital officials estimated a strike would have cost the medical center over $10 million to pay for temporary staff, travel, hotels, and to make up for delayed procedures.

Currently, nurse pay accounts for 8% of the hospital’s budget, or about $147 million per year, according to a hospital representative.

Earlier this week, the president of the hospital, Dr. Stephen Leffler, said their budget for next year allocated a 5% pay increase for nursing staff.

“We’ve already exceeded that, and we’ll have to manage that within the budget,” he said.

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