National Nurses United

10 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 J U LY | A U G U S T | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 0 WRAP-UP REPORT despite the challenges and disruptions of Covid-19, the power, leadership, and soli- darity of National Nurses United registered nurses continued to be demonstrated in strong contracts that nurses continued to settle during the pandemic. It is phenomenal that nurses conceded nothing in any of these contracts, only recording gains—a huge feat in these perilous times. CONCORD MEDICAL CENTER, JOHN MUIR HEALTH after nearly 10 months in negotiations, nurses at John Muir Medical Center in Con- cord, Calif. in August ratified a new contract. Highlights of the new agreement include enhancements to existing language includ- ing: dedicated rapid response nurses in critical care, filling over 50 vacant positions that are intended for meal-and-break cover- age across the medical center, enhanced language on safe staffing by "meal breaker" nurses (cannot be charge nurses by default), improved grievance and arbitration lan- guage, and more. On economics, the nurses won a 3 percent across-the-board increase in year one paid retroactively to Jan. 2020, with 3 percent in year two, then 2.75 percent in years three and four, for a total increase of 11.50 percent over the term of the agree- ment, which runs through Aug. 31, 2023. PROVIDENCE LITTLE COMPANY OF MARY MEDICAL CENTER TORRANCE after a year of negotiations and escalation actions, nurses were happy in June to ratify a contract with Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center Torrance that will help them recruit and retain experienced nurses to improve patient care. Some highlights from the contract include: an infectious dis- ease task force with three CNA RN members; a new safety and security commit- tee of RNs as part of workplace violence prevention efforts; across-the-board wage increases of 3 percent for each year of the four-year contract; improvements in paid education leave; and more. QUEEN OF THE VALLEY MEDICAL CENTER queen of the Valley Medical Center nurses in Napa, Calif. won big in June by success- fully settling a new contract, just their second since they joined the California Nurses Association in 2013. The nurse nego- tiation team demonstrated a powerful combination of solidarity, determination, and pragmatism despite Covid-19. Some highlights of this agreement include: Signifi- cant improvements in staffing language that bolster nurses' ability to hold the hospital accountable for acuity levels by elevating a nurse to colead the acuity committee and requiring comparative data from the hospi- tal prior to acuity review; a workplace violence committee comprising bedside nurse leaders and management to address the constant issue of violence in the work- place; enhancements to the retirement plan; better on-call pay; and a three-year contract with across-the-board increases of 3 percent in each year of the contract. ST. MARY MEDICAL CENTER registered nurses at St. Mary Medical Center in Apple Valley, Calif. successfully fought off nearly all of the employer's take- aways when they ratified a new contract in July, including rejecting the Catholic min- istry's proposal to eliminate Easter as a paid holiday and rejecting proposals to implement a two-tier bereavement leave and to use float- ing as a method of staffing various specialty units. The nurses also won improvements, such as holding the acuity committee more accountable by having a bedside RN as cochair and requiring comparative data from the hospital prior to acuity review; freezing health care costs through the end of 2021; adding a new workplace violence article; and improvements to the retirement plan, such as increasing employer matching and reducing the vesting period. ST. JOSEPH HEALTH, HUMBOLDT COUNTY nurses at redwood Memorial Hospital in Fortuna, Calif. and St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka, ratified a new contract in July, win- ning across-the-board increases for a total of 10 percent over the term of the three-year agreement. Other wage improvements include two new tenure steps, resulting in an average immediate increase of 12 percent for nurses at or above the new step; better on- call pay; and a 50 percent increase in shift differentials. Other highlights include: a 425 percent tuition reimbursement increase to $5,250 a year; staffing language that strengthens nurses' ability to hold the hospi- tal accountable for acuity levels; a workplace violence committee comprising bedside nurse leaders and management to address the chronic issue of violence in the work- place; and improvements to the retirement plan. —Staff report From top: John Muir Medical Center Concord nurses rally for a fair contract and to protect staffing ratios; Queen of the Valley Medical Center nurses in Napa celebrate a new contract NEWS BRIEFS

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