Registered nurses at Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor called off a one-day strike that had been scheduled for Monday, March 23, after their union and the hospital reached a tentative agreement on a three-year contract.
“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,” said Erin Oberson, a labor and delivery RN and member of the bargaining team.
The hospital said the proposed contract was “fair and supportive.”
“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,” said Ava Collins, the hospital’s president.
EMMC nurses are scheduled to vote to ratify the contract on Wednesday, March 25.
Pay increases, weapons ban
The new contract represents many improvements, said Diane Alexander, union chief steward and bargaining team member. Pay increases for every union nurse range from 12% to 17% over the next three years. Nurses also won increases in several pay differentials and were able to ban all weapons from the hospital building.
“We were ready to strike because the hospital insisted to the very end that we give up some of the foundational elements of our current union contract,” said Alexander. “These included the protections we have against our health care costs skyrocketing and punishing new nurses with lower PTO accruals.”
Earlier this month, Eastern Maine Medical Center nurses, represented by the Maine State Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, announced its first strike since 2015.
The RNs were protesting what they said was “management’s refusal” to address their concerns about safe nurse-to-patient staffing ratios; protecting nurses’ health insurance benefits from what they said are potentially exorbitant increases; ensuring all nurses receive the same benefits; and providing that women’s health care nurses’ pay scale is on par with all other union nurses.
The union has been bargaining for a new contract since July 2025. The contract expired last September.
