National Nurses United

4 N A T I O N A L N U R S E W W W . N A T I O N A L N U R S E S U N I T E D . O R G O C T O B E R | N O V E M B E R | D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 8 NATIONAL R egistered nurses at 17 HCA- affiliated hospitals in Florida, Missouri, Kansas, Texas, and Nevada voted overwhelmingly in late October to ratify contracts featuring a number of innovations that will benefit both patients and nurses. The pacts cover 7,000 RNs at 10 HCA- affiliated hospitals in Florida, four in Texas, and one each in Missouri, Kansas, and Nevada. The contracts will run through May 31, 2021 at the hospitals in Florida, Kansas, and Missouri, and through June 30, 2021 at the facilities in Texas and Nevada. HCA Healthcare, also known as Hospital Corpo- ration of America, is the largest for-profit hospital chain in the country. "On behalf of our members across the nation, I extend a hearty congratulations to the nurses at these HCA-affiliated hospitals for winning contracts that honor and support optimal patient care," said National Nurses United Executive Director Bonnie Castillo, RN. "These new pacts clearly demonstrate what nurses can accomplish when we are persistent and unified, includ- ing in environments that are hostile to collective bargaining rights. Your powerful patient advocacy is an inspiration to us all." "Our collective effort, spanning five states, has yielded wonderful results," said Lucia Adams, RN, who works on the mater- nal child transport team at Las Palmas Medical Center in El Paso, Texas. "The new contract will really help us nurses provide high-quality care for our patients and the communities we serve." "After many months of dedicated, coordi- nated bargaining, we have settled on terrific new contracts with all the hospitals," said Jack Hood, an RN in the ICU at Oakhill Hospital in Brooksville, Fla. "The gains we have achieved are truly remarkable, and will greatly improve our ability to recruit and retain nurses so that we can give our patients the care they deserve." "We are very proud of the new contracts because they fulfill our commitment to nego- tiating solutions to the issues we've been rais- ing, including turnover, recruitment, and retention," said Leslie Rogers, an RN in the operating room at Research Medical Center in Kansas City, Mo. "We know these contracts will have a positive impact on a number of levels and contribute to our ability to provide our patients with safe, quality care." Highlights of the contracts include creation of a new critical-needs staffing differential; fair and equitable raises rang- ing from 4 to 20 percent over the contract to improve recruitment and retention; mainte- nance of existing health insurance coverage for nurses and their families; and increases in protections and solutions to prevent workplace violence, among other gains. —Martha Wallner NEWS BRIEFS Nurses at HCA-affiliated hospitals ratify contracts Pacts cover 7,000 RNs in five states

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