The registered nurses at Marlborough Hospital, represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association, and UMass Memorial Health Care reached a tentative agreement Tuesday on a three-year contract that aims to improve RN-to-patient staffing and overall patient safety.
The settlement was the result of 10 months of negotiations and marks the last MNA-represented hospital in the UMass Memorial system to settle a contract. Nurses have recently settled at the UMass Memorial and UMass University campuses, and at UMass Memorial HealthAlliance campuses in Leominster and Burbank.
“We are very pleased with the outcome of the negotiations,” said Julie Lyver, RN and chairperson of the of the MNA/Marlborough Hospital bargaining unit. “We feel this agreement strengthens our respectful relationship with hospital management.”
The MNA represents 198 nurses at Marlborough Hospital. Highlights of the tentative agreement include:

• The creation of a Marlborough RN Staffing Committee. Its goal will be to review and issue recommendations to hospital management concerning RN staffing concerns that have been brought forward by RNs throughout the hospital.
• Reasonable wage increases for nurses, including a 4.5 percent pay increase over the life of the contract.

The contract is expected to be ratified by mid-September and would expire Nov. 14, 2017.