By Kolby LaMarche

Support staff and technical professionals at the University of Vermont Medical Center have reached tentative two-year contract agreements with hospital management on Tuesday, averting an immediate path toward a strike that union members had authorized days earlier.

The agreements cover more than 3,000 workers at the Burlington medical center and now go before union members for ratification. Voting opens Wednesday and continues through Sunday, according to union representatives. 

The tentative deals come after six months of joint bargaining that began in April. Both the hospital and union representatives confirmed the agreements Tuesday. 

The support staff union includes workers such as licensed nursing assistants and schedulers. The technical professionals union covers roles including laboratory and sterilization technicians.

Just last week, more than 3,000 technical and support staff cast ballots on whether to authorize a strike. Union representatives reported that 82 percent of those voting approved the authorization. 

That step gave bargaining teams the ability to issue a 10-day notice to the Vermont Labor Relations Board before any work stoppage could begin. No such notice had been filed when the tentative agreements were announced.

Dr. Steven Leffler, president and CEO of UVM Medical Center and its parent company, issued a statement on the outcome. “I’m grateful to our union partners for their collaboration and commitment to working with us, remaining at the bargaining table and reaching an agreement that recognizes the important contributions of our employees and supports our ability to care for our region for many years to come,” Leffler said. 

Negotiations had centered primarily on staffing levels. Union representatives sought greater input into how many employees per floor or unit constitute safe staffing. Hospital management had maintained final authority over those decisions. 

The unions also advanced a series of what they described as “common good” proposals. Those included requests for the hospital to cooperate with state efforts toward universal healthcare and to source dairy products through Migrant Justice’s Milk with Dignity program.

Representatives from both the union and the hospital declined to provide further specifics on the tentative contracts until after the ratification vote. AFT Vermont, which represents the workers, stated that a full tentative agreement on a two-year contract was reached Tuesday morning, on the eve of the unions preparing to issue a 10-day strike notice.

The network has reduced more than 300 positions across two rounds of layoffs in June and September. Those cuts affected managerial staff and union members throughout the system. Hospital executives indicated in September that additional staff reductions remained likely as the medical center works to address revenue shortfalls and rising expenses.

 Leffler has previously told regulators that the medical center expected to lose about $75 million this year.

The two unions share affiliation with AFT Vermont and have coordinated their bargaining. 

Nurses at the medical center belong to the same broader union structure but operate under a separate contract that remains in place for another year. The support staff and technical professionals unions represent roughly 3,300 employees who perform a wide range of roles essential to hospital operations, from direct patient support to laboratory and technical services.

Contract ratification requires a majority vote of the membership. If members approve the agreements, the new contracts would take effect and govern wages, working conditions, and related terms for the two-year period. 

If the contracts are rejected, the parties would return to the bargaining table, and the strike authorization would remain available as leverage.

Bargaining sessions had continued even after the strike authorization vote. Union leaders and hospital officials remained at the table rather than moving immediately to formal strike notice. 

The tentative agreements mark the first time both sides have signaled a potential resolution since the contracts expired and talks intensified earlier this year.

Prior to the tentative deals, hospital management had presented what it described as a “last, best and final” offer. Union representatives characterized aspects of that proposal as weakening existing protections around staffing plans and job security. 

The unions had sought enforceable timelines for creating safe staffing plans and shared decision-making processes. They also sought premium pay for staff working on units deemed short-staffed.

Beyond the recent layoffs, the network has worked to control costs while facing broader pressures common to health systems, including reimbursement rates, labor markets, and operational expenses. 

Union members had conducted informational activities and public outreach during the bargaining period, including rallies earlier in the year. Hospital management has consistently stated its commitment to remaining at the bargaining table and finding workable solutions.

Whether the final terms fully resolve those tensions will become clearer once the details are made public after the membership vote. For now, the immediate prospect of a strike, and the delays it can create, has been set aside while workers decide whether to accept the proposed contracts.