Nurses at Salem Regional Medical Center have approved a new contract with the hospital following 16 hours of negotiations that led to an agreement late Friday night.

The newly ratified agreement, includes four major points, which are listed below:

  • A commitment from the hospital to collaborate with Ohio Nursing Association (ONA) local nurses to address staffing levels and guidelines across all care units.
  • Improving wage scale to bring a nurse's pay closer to the market to attract and retain skilled nurses and resolving internal inequities by paying all nurses based on years of experience as registered nurses.
  • Maintenance or enhancement of important working conditions related to leave time and work-life balance.
  • Preservation of arbitration that protected nurses from being involuntarily transferred and other changes in work conditions.

“Nurses solidarity and the overwhelming support we received from the community forced hospital executives to address our demands for patient and nurse safety at the bargaining table,” said Sara Harkleroad, President of the Salem Registered Nurses Association and Oncology nurse at Salem Regional Medical Center. “Though we didn’t get minimum staffing standards included in this contract, we will continue to push hospital executives to make this a mandate so the safety of patients, nurses, and all of the hospital's health professionals is a top priority and requirement.”

The new contract is effective immediately and will through 2027, according to a news release from the Ohio Nurses Association.

The ratification avoided a strike at the hospital, which was planned for Monday, April 22.