Registered nurses at Millinocket Regional Hospital in Millinocket, Maine, voted in favor of ratifying a new three-year contract on Nov. 1, winning protections to improve patient safety and nurse retention announced Maine State Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee (MSNA/NNOC).

“This contract greatly improves our ability to recruit and retain nurses which is essential to safe patient care,” said Dyana Gallant, RN and a bargaining team member. “We also made improvements that hold the hospital accountable for making sure the workplace is safe and measures are being taken to prevent workplace violence.”

Highlights of the contract include:

• Workplace violence prevention protections, including reporting language and security precautions.
• Investment in continuing education.
• Economic gains and health benefit provisions to help retain and recruit experienced nurses. The new agreement includes wage increases of 10 to 11 percent over the term of the contract and step increases.
• Maintains all standards and benefits of previous contract, with no takeaways.

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MSNA, the union for nurses in Maine, is affiliated with the National Nurses Organizing Committee and National Nurses United, the largest and fastest-growing labor union of registered nurses in the United States with nearly 225,000 members nationwide.