Nurses and techs prevail over private equity greed

Health care workers stood strong together to win new contracts

By Dawn Kettinger

National Nurse magazine - July | August | September 2025 Issue

Two Michigan Nurses Association bargaining units faced an uphill battle this year, negotiating for new contracts with Upper Peninsula Health-System Marquette.

The RNs at the hospital and MAST (Marquette Ancillary Staff and Technologists) embarked on a journey together to win against Lifepoint Health, which operates the hospital system.

Lifepoint, which is based in Tennessee, is owned by Apollo, a multibillion-dollar private equity firm.

Ultimately, through collective action (including a rainy practice strike), solidarity with one another, and support from the community, they won outstanding contracts that addressed members’ priorities.

"We are excited about the stronger nurse staffing language we negotiated so we can improve the care and safety of our community,” said Christina Hanson, RN, president of the RN Staff Nurse Council at the hospital. “Nurses joining together to fight for each other and our community is how we got here, and that won't change just because our contract is done.”

“We want to thank our community for all their support, from the bottom of our hearts,” Hanson continued. “Every time people come through the hospital's doors, please know that nurses are your best advocates and we will always stand up for what's right."

The nurses won:

• Guaranteed wage increases of 18.75 percent over four years to bolster recruitment and retention at the U.P.'s largest hospital;

• A new joint committee of hospital representatives and union nurses that will review the hospital's staffing plans and address staffing concerns;

• Inclusion of staffing in the union's grievance process; and

• Continuation of the nurses' current health insurance.

The techs also scored a big victory, including guaranteed wage increases of 18.75 percent over four years and three months (the length of the contract); a switch to the same health insurance that the hospital’s RNs receive; and improved language around incentive shifts.

"Our team fought hard to make significant progress on wages and health insurance to help not only attract new staff but, just as important, also keep the techs who currently work here,” said Josh Bowman, a medical laboratory scientist at the hospital, MAST president, and an MNA board member.

"We want our hospital to be the best environment possible for workers as well as patients. The support from our community and our MNA nurse colleagues was amazing and helped us stay strong throughout negotiations. We can all be proud of this achievement.”

As private equity’s control of health care grows, nurses and health care professionals play a key role in putting patients and workers over their shareholders’ insatiable drive for profits.

Marquette is a fitting example of how nurses and health care professionals can prevail.