This story has been updated throughout.
Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center and its nurses’ union reached a tentative three-year contract agreement Friday night, calling off a strike that had been set to start Monday.
The agreement follows eight months of bargaining, union officials said in a statement on Saturday.
Union members will vote on whether to ratify the contract on Wednesday.
The contract includes pay increases for every union nurse ranging from 12% to 17% over the next three years. Nurses also won boosts in several pay differentials and were able to ban all weapons from the hospital building.
“EMMC came at us particularly hard this time around,” Erin Oberson, a labor and delivery nurse who is a member of the bargaining team, said in a statement. “Until the very last minute, they insisted on huge takeaways from us. They also wanted to decrease paid time off (PTO) and eliminate the pension for new nurses. Not only did we beat back every one of their concessionary demands, but we won new safety protections for all nurses and patients, and made real economic improvements as well.”
The two sides had been divided over staffing ratios, health insurance benefits and pay for women’s health nurses, who joined the union in 2024, during contract bargaining, according to the union.
The hospital’s contract with the union expired in September, and both parties agreed to an extension that expired in November, according to the hospital system.
“We’re pleased to have reached a tentative agreement that reflects our deep respect for our nursing team and their vital role in delivering exceptional patient care,” Ava Collins, president of Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center, said in a statement. “This resolution ensures continuity for our patients and the community, and we’re grateful for the dedication of everyone who worked toward this outcome.”