Issue link: https://nnumagazine.uberflip.com/i/1419101
14 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 1 WRAP-UP REPORT Arizona nurses at Tenet-owned Carondelet St. Mary's in Tucson held a press conference in July to speak out on unsafe staffing in their facility. National Nurses Organizing Com- mittee RNs held a similar speak out on unsafe personal protective equipment prac- tices back in January, and since that time, nurses have continued their advocacy within the hospital, highlighting ongoing patient safety concerns to Tenet administrators. NNOC represents more than 350 nurses at the facility. California ANTELOPE VALLEY HOSPITAL registered nurses at Antelope Valley Hospital in Lancaster voted overwhelmingly in favor of ratifying a new three-year con- tract, winning protections to improve patient safety and nurse retention, The agreement was ratified in May after an 18- month-long fight. California Nurses Association (CNA) represents nearly 1,000 nurses at this public-sector hospital. The contract includes staffing resources for each floor, ongoing access to Covid test- ing upon request, a workplace violence protection plan and monitoring committee, and RN input in the infectious diseases committee for the first time. The pact also contains annual across-the-board and step increases and additional opportunities for educational and professional advancement. It maintains the benefits of the previous contract, with no takeaways. ENLOE MEDICAL CENTER in may, registered nurses at Enloe Med- ical Center in Chico overwhelmingly ratified a new three-year contract that nurses said will provide important patients care improvements, as well as gains in long-term benefits to help with retention of nurses. The nurses had been bargaining for a new con- tract since October 2020. The RNs also won improvements to longevity benefits in sev- eral areas of the contract, including paid time off. CNA represents 1,000 nurses at Enloe Medical Center. MONTEREY COUNTY california nurses association now represents more than 570 staff and per diem nurses working for Monterey County after a card check count was certified by the state of California in May. Per diems nurses previ- ously had no representation and RNs had formerly been represented by the Monterey County Registered Nurses Association. OTHER SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA FACILITIES in june, registered nurses at KPC Health's three Orange County facilities, Anaheim Global, Chapman Global, and South Coast Global hospitals, ratified a new three-year contract. The contract contains annual across-the-board and step increases and uni- fies the wages at all three hospitals. Average increase is 6 percent in the first year and 11.5 percent over the life of the contract. CNA represents more than 400 nurses at the three facilities. In July, RNs at City of Hope National Medical Center in Duarte, about 21 miles east of Los Angeles, ratified a three-year con- tract by more than 96 percent. The contract contains annual across-the-board and step increases. The minimum increase is 12.5 per- cent over the life of the contract. CNA represents more than 1,400 RNs at the facil- ity. West of Los Angeles, in Ventura County, more than 100 LVNs, RNs, NPs, and PAs, known as Primary Care Clinic Professions, who work for the county's clinics ratified a first contract as members of CNA. Also in July, registered nurses who work for San Bernardino County overwhelmingly rati- fied a three-year contract. Economic gains include recognition of years of experience and education, and professional advancement ben- efits to help retain and recruit experienced nurses. The contract contains annual across- the-board, expedited/additional step increases, and equity adjustments. CNA represents about 1,500 nurses who work for the county. Maine nurses at maine Medical Center in Port- land held a press conference in August to urge their employer to maintain the Covid-19 pro- tections it put in place last year, during the last surge in the pandemic. The protections Maine Med said it was rolling back include allowing high-risk employees to work alterna- tive assignments that do not involve direct Covid care, covering the cost of treatment for employees who get sick with Covid-19, pro- viding quarantine pay to employees who have been exposed to Covid-19 outside the hospital, and giving paid time off to caregivers who are past 37 weeks of pregnancy. Maine State Nurses Association/NNOC represents 2,000 nurses at Maine Med. Nevada registered nurses at HCA's Mountain- View Hospital in Las Vegas held an informational picket in August to express ongoing concerns about safe staffing and improvements they say the hospital needs to make to retain experienced RNs and recruit new nurses. The RNs wanted to alert the public about persistent safe staffing prob- lems, including what they say is hospital management's consistent failure to adhere to its own staffing standards. NNOC represents more than 900 nurses at MountainView. —Staff report RNs at Antelope Valley Hospital celebrate a new three-year contract after a long fight; newly organized nurses at Maine Medical Center speak out against hospital plans to abandon Covid infection control measures and protections. NEWS BRIEFS