About 1,700 nurses at University of Illinois Health have reached a tentative deal with management after four days of striking.
The nurses went on strike Wednesday morning, demanding a new contract with higher wages and improved safety conditions.
They were prepared to strike indefinitely but reached a tentative agreement around midnight Saturday, according to an announcement from the Illinois Nurses Association.
“Our members have been deeply involved in these negotiations, from the drafting of language to watching our update calls week after week,” veteran nurse Liz Flores said in the statement. “They knew what this staff and its patient community deserves and they were ready to fight for it.”
The union is “thrilled “with the deal they have reached, which features improvements to hospital safety protocols and an increase in wages. The proposed contract also includes an agreement between UI Health and its nurses to request the UI Health board increase parental leave for all workers.
All 1,700 nurses will vote Tuesday on whether to accept the proposed agreement.
In the meantime, nurses have called off their strike and returned to work Sunday morning.
“The tentative agreement is the result of extensive discussions and negotiations by all parties and a commitment to reaching a fair and mutually beneficial contract,” the health group said in a statement Sunday.
“In the end, both sides worked to reach positions that are beneficial for staff, the University, the Hospital & Clinics, and, most importantly, our patients and community. “
Before Wednesday’s strike, the nurses had been working without a contract since Aug. 18. Nurses went on a seven-day strike in August but were unsuccessful in reaching an agreement.