Ann Arbor U-M nurses ratify three-year agreement after strike vote plan

Nurses and related clinical staff at University of Michigan Health in Ann Arbor ratified a three-year agreement on July 24, ending the immediate uncertainty around a strike-authorization vote that had been planned earlier in the month.

The agreement is between U-M Health and the University of Michigan Professional Nurse Council, or UMPNC. The bargaining unit represents more than 7,200 people, including registered nurses, certified nurse midwives, certified registered nurse anesthetists, nurse practitioners, flight nurses, clinical care coordinators and education nurses.

What was approved

University of Michigan Health confirmed the ratification in a July 24 announcement. The notice describes the deal in its text as a tentative, three-year agreement that was ratified by UMPNC members.

The ratification followed a tentative agreement reached July 9 after extended negotiations. Before that deal, a strike-authorization vote had been planned for the following week. Once the tentative agreement was reached, that immediate escalation was no longer needed; the later ratification means union members approved the agreement.

WEMU reported on July 9 that the tentative deal included a 13.25% pay increase over three years, improved staffing ratios and stronger workplace-violence protections. Those details were reported at the tentative-agreement stage and should be distinguished from the limited terms summarized in U-M Health’s ratification announcement.

Why it matters in Ann Arbor

U-M Health is the clinical organization of Michigan Medicine and one of Ann Arbor’s largest health-care institutions. The agreement affects a large local workforce whose jobs span hospitals, clinics and other parts of the health system.

Staffing and workplace-safety provisions matter directly to employees and to the day-to-day operation of patient-care facilities. They may shape how staffing concerns, violence prevention and workforce retention are handled under the agreement. The available announcements do not establish that the contract will produce specific changes in patient outcomes, appointment access or service levels.

For patients, the practical takeaway is that the ratification announcement does not report a service disruption or a change to appointments. It removes the immediate uncertainty surrounding the planned strike-authorization process, while implementation details remain important to watch.

What remains to be confirmed

The union’s 2026-2029 agreement page includes a digital agreement, FAQs, wage scales and materials for advanced-practice registered nurses. The page specifically says its posted wage scales are estimates and that official scales require implementation work, including agreement on rounding fractional cents.

Readers should not treat the posted estimates as final pay schedules without checking later implementation materials. The next developments to watch are the rollout of staffing and workplace-safety provisions and publication of finalized wage information.

Sources

• University of Michigan Health ratification announcement
• WEMU: Michigan Medicine and its nurses reach tentative contract agreement
• MNA-UMPNC 2026-2029 tentative-agreement materials