Munson, nurses reach tentative contract deal in Traverse City

Nearly 850 registered nurses at Munson Medical Center moved closer to a new contract Wednesday, a tentative agreement that could help stabilize staffing at Grand Traverse County’s largest hospital and the referral center for all of northern Michigan.

The deal still has to be ratified by union members, but it comes after months of negotiations and after nurses had worked without a contract since March 10, when the previous agreement expired. For patients and families who rely on Munson Medical Center in Traverse City, the timing matters because any prolonged labor dispute at a 442-bed hospital can ripple into scheduling, morale, retention and the continuity of care.

The bargaining centered on issues that have shaped the dispute from the start: safer staffing levels, retention, mandatory overtime, and how artificial intelligence and telehealth fit into clinical work. Those topics go directly to the daily pressure nurses say they face on the floor, where too few staff members or too much forced overtime can make it harder to keep experienced nurses in place and harder for the hospital to maintain a steady rhythm of care.

Jenn Standfest, Munson Healthcare’s chief nursing officer, described the tentative deal as an important step and said the negotiations were focused on supporting nurses, care teams and patient care. Munson has also said throughout the dispute that it remained focused on supporting its nursing team and delivering high-quality care while balancing the needs of the community and the larger health system.

The nurses’ bargaining push played out publicly across Traverse City in recent months. On March 26, they held a community town hall to talk about staffing concerns and contract negotiations. Then, on April 9, nurses staged a public practice strike while talks continued. Those actions reflected a deeper concern in a region where Munson Medical Center is not just another workplace, but the main safety-net hospital for emergency care, inpatient care and specialty referrals across northern Michigan.

This was not the first time Munson nurses and management had worked through a difficult contract fight. In March 2023, nurses ratified a new three-year contract after months of negotiation. A 2018 agreement also included staffing protections, limits on mandatory overtime and raises aimed at recruitment and retention, showing that the same pressures have been part of the hospital’s labor disputes for years.

The tentative agreement arrives as Munson is also expanding care in other areas. In late May, the system announced a $40 million investment in women’s and children’s services and broke ground on a new neonatal intensive care unit at Munson Medical Center. For Grand Traverse County and the wider region, the contract deal could signal a more stable footing for the nurses who keep that hospital running.