An agreement has been reached to avoid another strike by workers in the Rochester Regional Health system.

Rochester General Hospital and the Rochester Union of Nurses & Allied Professionals have reached a tentative agreement for a 42-month contract for the more than 900 union nurses at RGH.

The agreement was eventually reached after 25 bargaining sessions over 12 months. Wages and staffing were the two main issues negotiated by the two sides.

“We want to thank the RGH and RUNAP bargaining teams, our RGH employees for the exceptional care and dedication they give our patients, and the Rochester community for their patience and understanding,” said Tammy Snyder, president and chief operating officer at Rochester General Hospital. “Two key issues for both sides were wages and staffing, and I’m pleased we were able to find common ground with the union on these and many other important issues.”

“We are proud of our RGH nurses who have stood united over the last fifteen months in their commitment to achieve advancements for patient care at our hospital. Tonight, we have reached a tentative agreement that addresses many of the concerns of our nurses. We are looking forward to working together with hospital management to provide the quality care that our community deserves,” said RUNAP President Carmen Camelio, RN.

Hundreds of union nurses walked out of Rochester General Hospital for 48 hours in early August citing concerns over safety, salary and more. Earlier this month they voted 91% in favor of a second strike, according to the nursing union's president. They were set to walk off the job again if an agreement had not been reached by Oct. 23.

Union members will now vote on whether they will ratify the contract.