Gainesville, FL — The Shands Nurses Union, Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) Local 713/Florida Nurses Association, voted to ratify a new three-year contract with UF Health Shands Hospital yesterday covering approximately 3,000 registered nurses. The contract includes $18.3 million in wage and other compensation improvements and $3.3 million to ensure no health insurance premium increases in 2027, among other key improvements.

The contract, bargained over five days, covers 2,952 bedside RNs responsible for making Shands a top Florida hospital. The nurses prioritized demands that would enable them to live comfortably in the community they serve and have access to affordable healthcare to the quality of what they deliver.

“This agreement delivers meaningful improvements for the nurses we represent and builds on the strong foundation they have established over the years,” said Marsha Martin, RN, president of The Shands Nurses Union. “Today's ratification is a testament to what nurses can accomplish when they stand together.”

The Shands Nurses Union doubled its dues-paying members as they developed their collective power throughout bargaining. As a result, nurses will receive a pay increase of $1 to $4 per hour and annual merit-based wage increases of 3.8 percent on average. Nurses achieved a wage re-opener clause allowing for new negotiations in spring 2027.

The contract also continues to strengthen grievance procedures and solidify nurses’ voice in workplace issues impacting nurses. “While our work is never finished, this contract positions us to achieve even more in the future,” Martin added. “As we continue to grow our membership and strengthen our union, we will be even better positioned to advocate for our profession, our patients and every nurse we represent.”

The Shands Nurses Union will continue to build on this victory through strengthening their numbers with the goal of achieving even closer to what they deserve in the next contract.

Hawai’i Nurses Association/OPEIU Local 50 President Rose Agas-Yuu and OPEIU Local 40 President Dina Carlisle address the 30th AFL-CIO Convention on the bravery and commitment shown by nurses across the United States.  OPEIU represents more than 25,000 nurses and healthcare workers throughout the country.

OPEIU mourns the murder of our union brother, AFGE member and VA nurse Alex Pretti, by the United States Border Patrol. We condemn in the strongest terms the rising tide of state-sponsored violence that also took the life of Renée Good earlier this month. 

These killings are part of a clear campaign of intimidation that aims to divide us. Countless people — workers, neighbors, friends, family members, citizens and noncitizens — have been terrorized and brutalized by federal immigration authorities. As a union, the right to free expression, association and speech is sacrosanct. Targeting people for expressing those rights is unconscionable. 

We stand in full solidarity with the people of Minnesota and call on congressional leaders to have the courage required to take a stand against this senseless violence by refusing to fund ICE's unlawful and barbaric operations. 

Show your solidarity all season long with the AFL-CIO’s annual union-made holiday gift guide. From books and board games to stocking stuffers, there are union-made gifts for all of your loved ones.

OPEIU is proud to represent nurses and healthcare professionals across the country. THANK YOU to every union nurse out there fighting for patients over profits!