National Nurses United

Four Texas HCA-Affiliated Hospitals Win First Contracts I TEXAS n a landmark win for nurses, patients, and three Texas communities, registered nurses in El Paso, Corpus Christi, and Brownsville on Sept. 5 ratified their firstever collective bargaining agreements.��The contracts make significant strides for working conditions for RNs, patient care standards, and quality of care at the four facilities.��The agreements cover RNs at Corpus Christi Medical Center; two El Paso facilities, at Las Palmas Medical Center and Del Sol Medical Center; and one at Valley Regional Medical Center in Brownsville.�� RNs are excited about the important improvements in patient care protections they bargained and the enhanced professional and economic standards that they say will help keep experienced RNs at the bedside. ���Texas took a big step forward in terms of patient care standards with these agreements,��� said Fred Flores, RN, of Corpus Christi Medical Center���s emergency department. ���This is a victory for quality healthcare at Las Palmas, and at the other HCA-affiliated SEPTEMBER 2012 committees with management to review staffing issues in the hospital, ensure compliance with staffing matrices, and recommend changes. ���It took time,��� said Adriana Soto, RN, who works the hospitals and the communities Progressive Care they serve,��� said Ann James, Clockwise from top left: Unit at Valley RN, of the intensive care unit Las Palmas Medical Center; Regional Medical at��Las Palmas Medical Center in Corpus Christi Medical Center. ���But in the El Paso. �� Center; Valley Regional end we were able to Nashville-based HCA is the Medical Center; and Del Sol reach a settlement largest operator of for-profit Medical Center. that will solidify our hospitals in the United States RN organization, and, with these agreements, now and provides our patients in Brownsville has nurses at 19 affiliated hospitals covered with quality care.��� by collective bargaining agreements with ���For us, having an acknowledged role in National Nurses United affiliates: 10��in Florithe standards, for patient care, is a must-win da hospitals, two in California,��as well as one in a contract,��� said Maria Navarro, RN, of each in Nevada, Missouri, and��Kansas. Del Sol Medical Center���s labor and delivery. In each of these hospital contracts, RNs ���We are professionals who work at the were able to negotiate the establishment of bedside and patients count on us. Manageprofessional practice committees (PPCs), an ment gains from our expertise.��We need to elected committee composed of staff RNs be able to share it and management needs to charged with making recommendations to be listening. We have achieved that in our management on improving patient new contract.��� care.��Along with PPCs, the contracts also Procedures for resolving employment include patient acuity-based staffing levels, with RN-to-patient staffing levels and acuity disputes were a high priority for the RNs, established in policy and now enforceable by such as just cause protections, appropriate grievance and floating procedures, and newly negotiated staffing committees.��The seniority protections in layoffs and job four Texas RN staffing committees are a bidding.��All were addressed in the new hallmark of these HCA-affiliated hospital agreements. ���Staff report contracts, where bedside RNs will serve on 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 N AT I O N A L N U R S E 7

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