Two UVM Medical Center Unions Ratify Contracts, Avert a Strike

Two unions representing roughly 3,300 support and technical staff at the University of Vermont Medical Center ratified new contracts on October 12, 2026, after six months of negotiations that nearly ended in a strike. More than 2,000 of the covered workers voted, and over 89% approved the deals.

Two unions, one deadline

UVMMC Support Staff United, led by Jacob Berkowitz, represents the hospital’s support staff. The Vermont Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals, led by Nicole DiVita, represents technical professionals such as respiratory therapists and MRI technicians. Both groups bargained separately but ratified on the same day, after talks that came close enough to a walkout that the union and hospital negotiated through the final stretch to avoid one.

Different wins for different jobs

The two contracts solved different problems for each group. Support staff gained a formal voice in staffing decisions within their own departments, and the agreement ends the practice of temporarily reassigning support staff — including licensed nursing assistants and mental health technicians — into short-staffed departments outside their specialty. For technical staff, the time before an updated staffing plan takes effect and becomes enforceable drops from 18 months to six. Workers in chronically short-staffed roles that rely on traveling replacement workers, such as respiratory therapists and MRI technicians, received larger raises than the base 7% figure, though the unions did not break out the exact percentages. The hospital and unions also issued a joint statement describing the state of the broader healthcare system as strained.

A deal reached under pressure, not before it

Six months of bargaining is a long stretch for any hospital staff to go without a new contract, and the fact that both sides kept talking through the final days rather than letting the clock run out is part of what made this a negotiated settlement instead of a walkout. The hospital did not agree to every union request — it declined incentive pay for short-staffed floors, for instance — and talks on joining Vermont’s Milk with Dignity program, a separate workplace-standards initiative, are continuing rather than resolved. That is a realistic picture of how most of these disputes end: a real win on the issues that mattered most, alongside items both sides agreed to keep negotiating.

Why this matters for UTL readers

This is another example of a union contract delivering wage gains plus hard protections — staffing input, limits on being reassigned outside your role — that come from collective bargaining rather than employer goodwill. Hospital workers who went through this fight know the value of something negotiated and locked in. A final expense or whole life policy extends that same logic to a family’s finances after a death: a benefit that isn’t tied to any one employer and doesn’t depend on the next contract cycle. Our union members coverage page, life insurance cost guide, and free calculator are good starting points.

Sources

• WCAX — UVM Medical Center support, technical staff ratify new contract
• VTDigger — UVM Medical Center unions approve contracts and avert a strike

Frequently Asked Questions

Did UVM Medical Center unions avoid a strike?

Yes. UVMMC Support Staff United and the Vermont Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals, representing roughly 3,300 technical and support staff, ratified new contracts on October 12, 2026 after six months of negotiations that nearly led to a strike. More than 2,000 members voted, and over 89% approved.

What raises did UVM Medical Center support and technical staff get?

The two contracts combine for a 7% wage increase over two years, including a cost-of-living component. Workers in chronically short-staffed roles that rely on traveling replacement workers, such as respiratory therapists and MRI technicians, received larger increases.

Why does a union contract matter for life insurance coverage?

A union contract can raise pay and add protections, but it is tied to one employer and one bargaining cycle. A final expense or whole life policy is coverage a worker owns personally. It does not depend on the next contract, and it travels with them if they change jobs or employers.