Nurses at the UVM Medical Center are asking the hospital for a fair contract as they continue negotiations.Back in February, the Vermont Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals was able to strike a deal increasing nurses' salaries by 10%. Followed by a 5% increase expected in the fall. Since then, the federation continues to discuss the remainder of its contract.President Deb Snell said there is still much work to be done."They're constantly putting projects before patients and their people, period, we're not seeing anything to tell us that we are moving in the right direction," said Snell. In a statement to NBC5, UVM Medical Center said: "When The UVM Medical Center prepared to begin bargaining with the VFNHP on a new contract, the hospital understood that the biggest priority for both the hospital and the union was increasing base wages, and that we needed to get increased wages to nurses right away, rather than as scheduled in October 2022. We were proud to reach agreement on base wage increases of 20% over 18 months, with 10% going into effect in February. The average annualized salary for a Staff Nurse II working a 40-hour week is currently $87,000.We have four bargaining sessions scheduled in the coming weeks, and will continue to meet with the union in good faith with the goal of reaching agreement on a new contract that supports our nurses, and our organization-wide work of providing high-quality care to our patients and families."Negotiations are expected to continue through the end of their current contract which ends on July 9.