The Boston City Council voted to approve collective bargaining agreements covering nurses at the Boston Public Health Commission and to transfer $347,178 from the reserve for collective bargaining into the commission’s FY26 budget.

The measure passed after suspension of the rules. Councilors voting on the roll call recorded in the transcript gave the dockets (1738 and 1739) affirmative votes; docket 1738 received 11 votes in the affirmative and was recorded as passed, and docket 1739 received 11 votes in the affirmative and was recorded as passed.

The agreements cover a seven-year term running Oct. 1, 2020, through Sept. 30, 2027, and apply to an SEIU-represented unit that includes about 30 registered nurses, nurse practitioners and supervisors working in the infectious disease bureau, school-based health centers, the Healthy Baby Healthy Child program and Boston EMS. The council packet and committee summary presented totals and a year-by-year cost profile; the appropriation before the council for FY26 was $347,178 to cover FY26 cost items in the contracts.

Committee reporting and council remarks outlined the major provisions: annual general wage increases of 2 percent in most years (with a 1.5 percent increase for fiscal year 2022), adjustments to step schedules, a change so new hires will start at step 3, an added step 13 in 2026 for more-experienced nurses, a $15-per-week increase in education bonuses and a transition to a new digital performance-evaluation system for nurses. The committee report described the contract as designed to improve recruitment and retention for nurses who provide public-health services citywide.

Councilors who spoke during the discussion expressed support. Councilor Flynn said he “rose to support this” and described the nurses as “lifesavers” whose work the council should treat with “respect and dignity.” Councilor Braden emphasized retention concerns and the need to align pay with comparable roles in other unions and settings. Other councilors thanked bargaining participants and noted that payroll reimbursement and retroactive amounts were a factor in expediting the approval.

The actions approved by the council authorized the supplemental FY26 appropriation and confirmed the two dockets implementing the collective bargaining agreements. The council referred the financial adjustment to Ways and Means for placement in the City budget, consistent with standard procedure for supplemental appropriations.

Votes at the meeting recorded the passage of both dockets by roll call. The council did not record amendments to the agreements in the meeting transcript and no changes to the contract language were made on the floor during the session.

The council’s committee materials and the city clerk’s docket list indicate the funding will be posted to the Boston Public Health Commission budget and that the underlying collective bargaining agreement remains the administrative responsibility of the commission.