Maine hospital and nursing union extend contract through July 2; negotiations resume June 24

Representatives for a Maine hospital say bargaining teams and a nursing union are agreeing to extend the nurses' current contract through July 2.

A spokesman for Eastern Maine Medical Center says bargaining teams representing the hospital and Maine State Nurses Association, National Nurses Organizing Committee and National Nurses United met on Wednesday. The spokesman says the parties were not able to come to an agreement on a new contract but did extend the current one.

The spokesman says several proposals the hospital and union have been discussing for weeks are now resolved. He says there was little progress on staffing ratios and compensation. Those are the biggest issues remaining on the table.

The hospital spokesman says parties will return to the table on June 24.