The deal announced early Wednesday could avert a threatened two-day strike by the nurses next week. It must be ratified by the union membership and the hospital’s board.

Details of the tentative agreement were not immediately known.

The contract between the hospital and the Maine State Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United expired last Thursday. Nurses had been demanding an increase in staffing.

In a statement, EMMC president and chief executive Deborah Carey Johnson said the agreement represented a compromise on both sides and ensures that the hospital can remain focused on providing high quality care for patients.