About 1,800 health care professionals from Lansing’s Sparrow Hospital will vote on a tentative contract agreement by Dec. 17.

The tentative three-year agreement was reached at about 4:30 a.m. Friday. Michigan Nurses Association members have worked without a contract since Oct. 31.

“We’re recommending it, so we think it’s a good agreement,” said John Karebian, chief labor officer for the association. “I was impressed by how hard both bargaining teams worked. There weren’t any surprises.”

The nurses, physical therapists, pharmacists, medical technicians and other members of the union “overwhelmingly” agreed Nov. 20 to support a strike if a contract decision wasn’t made soon.

With association members serving in almost all of the hospital’s departments, officials say a strike would affect most day-to-day operations at the hospital.

Karebian said the strike support didn’t rush the contract decision, but helped in other ways.

“What (the strike approval) did do was ensure that the management team understood that we had full support of our membership,” Karebian said. “It did pay dividends for everybody.”

Details about the contract won’t be released until association members approve or decline the contract, but the tentative agreement addresses each of the concerns listed by association members, Karebian said.

Hospital officials could not be reached for comment.

Union members are requesting the elimination of mandatory overtime and the shifting of employees to different hospital units. Increased wages and retirement benefits will help to improve recruitment and retention, improving quality of service, union members say. Health and safety issues such as latex allergies, back injuries and violence also are on the list of items to be addressed.