Kent Hospital and the United Nurses and Allied Professionals Local 5008 have reached an agreement ending an extended period where many union members felt they had lost a personal connection with the hospital, as it became a smaller and smaller wheel in a larger and larger Care New England.

The financial terms of the three-year agreement affecting 900 nurses and health care professionals were not released by Kent. The contract is retroactive to 2015 and expires in June 2018, said hospital spokesman James Beardsworth. It was overwhelmingly approved by the union membership last week.

In a release issued by the hospital, local president Rose Desnoyers, R.N. said, “This was a long and difficult negotiation that ultimately resulted in a fair contract for our members. I am very proud of our members who fought hard to achieve this conclusion. We made our voices heard and we were clearly seen as a unified front from the cold of winter to the heat of summer. It was well worth the effort.”

Union members took to informational pickets several times during the process of negotiations that were frequently characterized as going nowhere. The union argued they were not prepared to take the 23 percent cut in pay and benefits they claimed the hospital was seeking to impose.

This March Jack Callaci, union director of collective bargaining, said what the hospital was proposing to cut the top pay for a nurse from $43 to $38 an hour and would put Kent in a downward spiral in keeping and attracting high quality professionals.

“There are a lot of things the hospital was looking for that they didn’t get,” Callaci said Monday. He said there were some cuts in the pension benefits, “but it’s something we can live with.”

He said the hospital was looking to put employees in a restructured healthcare network, but employees can opt to stay out of the plan for a premium.

According to the release, the new agreement provides for wage increases in each of the three years at a minimum of two percent; job security protections including an agreement to not subcontract union work in the environmental services department, reduction in retirement benefits and modifications to the existing medical insurance plans.

In a statement, Michael Dacey, M.D., president & COO, Kent Hospital said, “This is a fair contract representing hard work by both sides in a very challenging health care environment. Kent’s nurses, allied professionals and environmental services staff are respected and valued for the critical role they play each and every day and for the tireless manner in which they always put patients first. We are grateful for their dedication and service and for achieving this positive resolution.”