More than 700 Nurses at Nine ARH Facilities Ratify Three-Year Contract

Hazard — Registered nurses at nine Appalachian Regional Healthcare facilities across Kentucky and West Virginia overwhelmingly ratified a new three-year contract that covers more than 700 nurses, union leaders announced following the Jan. 23, 2026 vote. The agreement, effective May 1, 2026 through April 30, 2029, aims to shore up staffing and nurse retention at hospitals including Hazard ARH Regional Medical Center in Perry County.

Under the contract, every union nurse will receive wage increases that include step increases and annual cost-of-living adjustments, producing an average overall increase of nearly 10 percent over three years. The pact also preserves layoff and seniority protections and contains provisions described by nurses and union leaders as having no concessions to management.

The agreement adds two personal wellness days each year that nurses can take without penalty. Lisa Salyer, a medical-surgical RN at Morgan County ARH Hospital in West Liberty, Ky., said, “It’s good that nurses now have two wellness days. That’s something we have wanted for some time to allow us time to take care of ourselves so we can be the best for our patients.”

Holiday-pay language was a central win for some staff. Rachel Park, an operating room RN at Hazard ARH Regional Medical Center in Hazard, Ky., said, “I am happy we were able to add language that guarantees every union nurse is getting a significant raise and 12 hours of holiday pay. This was a huge victory for our night shift nurses who had this benefit taken away in prior contract fights.”

Appalachian Regional Healthcare described the agreement as reflecting its commitment to competitive wages and employee wellness. Austin Maggard, vice president of human resources for Hazard, Ky.-based ARH, said the agreement “reflects our commitment to offering a comprehensive wage and benefits package that helps make our care teams among the best paid in the region and the strong, collaborative relationship we have with our union partners.” He added that the contract “also reinforces ARH’s focus on employee wellness through the addition of two personal wellness days each year to help prevent burnout and support nurses’ physical, mental and emotional well‑being.”

The National Nurses Organizing Committee, part of National Nurses United, framed the ratification as a victory for rural hospital staffing, saying the contract contains “strong measures to improve nurse retention” and helps ensure rural health care facilities remain open and safely staffed. National Nurses United notes it represents more than 225,000 nurses nationwide and that the NNOC represents the more than 700 nurses covered by this agreement.

Reaction on the union social post was robust: a National Nurses United Facebook announcement registering 336 reactions, 14 comments and 24 shares included frontline accounts such as Amy Horner describing prior gaps in paid sick time. Union and employer statements did not publish vote totals or a complete list of the nine ARH facilities in the material released; those specifics and the detailed wage schedule remain to be confirmed by the parties. The new contract will remain in force through April 30, 2029, marking a multi-year effort to stabilize staffing at hospitals serving Perry County and neighboring communities.