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12 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 A P R I L | M AY | J U N E 2 0 2 3 WRAP-UP REPORT California MARINHEALTH registered nurses at MarinHealth Medical Center in Greenbrae, Calif., voted overwhelm- ingly in favor of ratifying a new three-year contract in late March, winning protections to improve patient safety and nurse retention announced California Nurses Association/ National Nurses United (CNA/NNU). "Through the solidarity of nurses, we were able to secure one of the strongest contracts we've had in years," said Kathleen Sickert, RN in the emergency unit at MarinHealth. Highlights of the contract include: ● Health and safety provisions to ensure nurses get the highest level of personal pro- tective equipment, including when caring for patients suspected of having Covid. Nurse participation in a new Infectious Disease Subcommittee. ● Safe staffing provisions, including addi- tional break relief for most units. ● Economic gains and health benefit pro- visions to help retain and recruit experienced nurses, including no takeaways for health benefits. The agreement includes a 16.5 per- cent wage increase over three years. The new agreement covers the period from 2022 to June 30, 2025. CNA represents nearly 600 nurses at MarinHealth Medical Center. SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA HOSPITAL AT CULVER CITY registered nurses at Southern California Hospital at Culver City in Culver City, Calif., voted overwhelmingly in April to ratify a new three-year contract, winning protec- tions to improve patient safety and nurse retention, announced California Nurses Association/National Nurses United (CNA/NNU). The new agreement covers the period from April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2026 and covers 310 nurses at the facility. Highlights of the contract include: ● Improvements to Health and Safety language, including enforcement of the hos- pital's commitment to maintaining a three-month supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) and proper cohorting of patients according to their infectious status. ● Historic Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion language confirming the hospital's commit- ment to equity in the workplace, including working to ensure that the hospital's work- force reflects the patients in the community. ● Competitive wage increases to promote recruit- ment and retention of nurses, including across-the- board increases of up to 30 percent over the life of the agreement. ● No takeaways, including language that prohibits floating nurses outside of their clusters. SUTTER HEALTH registered nurses at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center (ABSMC) voted overwhelm- ingly to ratify their collective bargaining agreement in March, concluding a 21-month system-wide contract fight with Sutter Health, announced California Nurses Association/ National Nurses United (CNA/NNU). Some 8,000 registered nurses across 16 facilities in Northern California had been bargaining with Sutter Health management since June 2021 for greater investments in nursing staff and protections for pandemic-readiness and work- place violence. In April 2022, 8,000 nurses participated in a historic one-day strike to call attention to Sutter Health's refusal to accept nurses' common-sense proposals for improved nurse and patient safety. The agreement will be in effect at ABSMC through Nov. 2027, while the agreements at the other Sutter hos- pitals run through Dec. 2026. The agreements also broke new ground as initial contracts for some of the Sutter nurses, including Sutter Center for Psychia- try in Sacramento. While nurses approved contracts specific to their facility, highlights applicable across all 16 facilities include: Patient and nurse safety protections: new workplace violence language to ensure the hospitals maintain sufficient security systems and violence prevention plans; maintenance of a three-month stockpile of PPE; presump- tive eligibility for workers' compensation during a state-declared pandemic or epidemic. Recruitment and retention strategies: improved meal and break assurances; wage increases ranging from 21 percent to 32 per- cent over the life of the agreements, with Sutter hospitals bargaining their first contract receiving as much as 25 percent to 55 percent increases, with additional step increases; dif- ferentials for weekends and charge nurses duties; tuition reimbursements. VENTURA COUNTY registered nurses and health care profes- sionals who work for the Ventura County Health System in California voted overwhelm- ingly in April to ratify a new five-year contract winning protections to improve patient safety and staff retention along with pension enhancement and a competitive benefit pack- age, announced California Nurses Association/ National Nurses United (CNA/NNU). Highlights of the contract include: health and safety enhancements, workplace vio- lence protections, staffing improvements, wage increases of up to 30 percent across- the-board over the life of the agreement for most bargaining unit members, improved benefits, and cost-of-living increases for pen- sions. The new pact covers the period April 25, 2023 to April 24, 2028. CNA represents more than 700 registered nurses and health care professionals including RNs, nurse practitioners, physicians assistants, psych techs, and licensed vocational nurses who work at two hospitals and 13 clinics across the Ventura County Health System. New York nurses at South Shore University Hospi- tal/Northwell Health in Bayshore, N.Y. voted overwhelmingly in February to ratify their new contract, averting a strike set for Feb. 27. NYSNA nurses won improvements to safe staffing standards, including expedited arbitration of staffing disputes to enforce new standards, as part of the new contract. They also won an average 18.65 percent salary increase over the life of the three-year contract, including experience pay to retain nurses. The contract also includes the addi- tion of Juneteenth as a paid holiday and improvement to retiree health benefits. —Staff report From left: Sutter RNs struck before successfully completing systemwide bargaining for 16 facilities; Ventura County RNs held a candlelight vigil and numerous other actions to build momentum for a strong contract. NEWS BRIEFS