University of Chicago Medical Center nurses have ratified a four-year labor contract that raises wages by up to 3 percent annually, increases health care costs for nurses and ends rotating shifts, according to the union and the hospital.

The agreement, reached in principle last week, averted an April 30 strike by National Nurses United, which represents about 1,500 of the hospital's nurses.

"This is truly a positive step for all of us as we continue to advance the profession of nursing here at UCMC," Debi Albert, chief nursing officer at University of Chicago Medicine, said in a statement.

Jan Rodolfo, Midwest director of National Nurses United, said the agreement was ratified by a "strong majority" of nurses but declined to divulge the vote count.

Rodolfo said nurses will see "modest" increases to their health care costs. She declined to give specifics but said the union protected nurses from "significant" increases that could have doubled costs for some nurses.

The new contract eliminates rotating day and night shifts. In about six months, nurses will have a permanent day or night shifts, Rodolfo said.

The hospital agreed to hire eight support nurses who would care for patients on breaks and fill in "wherever the fire is," Rodolfo said, while continuing to allow nurses in charge of units to have patients. The hospital had wanted those nurses to become supervisors without patients. The union countered that the proposal would have eliminated a position.

Under the new contract, nurses could also receive "step" raises based on experience, ranging from 3 to 4 percent per year. The base pay of U. of C. nurses ranges from $58,000 to $148,000 a year. The hospital has said the average compensation for its nurses is more than $100,000 annually.

Source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/ct-nurses-uofc-ratify-contract-0507-biz-20150507-story.html