National Nurses United

NewsBriefsJuly 2006 7/25/06 7:46 PM Page 5 Turn-Around Victory CNA/NNOC, cementing its status as a national nurses union with the power to win major elections and first contracts outside of its California home base. This contract carries the standard-setting provisions of CNA/NNOC's California contracts into the Midwest and enables Cook County nurses to become full-fledged members of the rapidlygrowing national organization of 70,000 direct-care registered nurses in 44 states. "We're proud and honored to have won a contract with the CNA/NNOC—joining a powerful national movement of direct care RNs," said Bernice Faulkner, RN. "CNA/ NNOC representation will make the difference in raising the standards for nurses and patients across the nation." With their contract settled, Cook County nurses can now roll up their sleeves, join with their colleagues across the country, and begin to tackle the vital big-picture challenges facing nurses in Illinois and elsewhere – organizing other nurses into a single, nurse-led and activist professional organization, establishing nurse staffing ratios, strengthening nurse practice laws, and winning universal healthcare. —frank borgers DETAILS OF CNA/NNOC'S COOK COUNTY CONTRACT he CNA/NNOC agreement replaces the Illinois Nurses Association (INA) contract that expired in November 2004 and contained debilitating economic and nursing practice and patient advocacy concessions. The new contract reverses these concessions and lays the foundation for future expansions in nurse practice, patient advocacy, and nurse compensation. Despite daunting circumstances, the CNA/NNOC negotiating team was able to win the best contract the Cook County nurses have ever seen. The new contract is retroactive to December 2004 and won't expire until December 2008. NURSE COMPENSATION: The CNA/NNOC negotiating team moved Cook County far beyond its initial demand for net pay cuts to establish a series of pay increases of more than thirteen percent over the life of the contract. These terms will put County nurses at pay parity by June 2008. The biggest challenge was beating back the demand for deep concessions in healthcare premiums and co-pays. When CNA/NNOC began its negotiations, other County unions were facing demands to increase premiums as much as 500 percent alongside huge increases in co-pays. CNA/NNOC used the fight against healthcare takeaways as a centerpiece of the contract campaign, demonstrating the impact these would have on nurse recruitment, retention, and the Bureau's long-term ability to fulfill its vital patient care functions. The nurses' unrelenting pressure resulted in an overall health plan settlement that retains its status as the premier plan in the Chicago area and, along with other contract gains, should help rebuild nurse recruitment and retention at County. The negotiat- T J U LY 2 0 0 6 ing team was able to hold nearly all premium and co-pay increases from one-third to half of County's initial demands, delay implementation of the increases to the end of 2007 and June 2008, and was able to offset these cost increases with immediate wage gains that over the life of the contract will far outpace the cost increases. NURSING PRACTICE AND PATIENT ADVOCACY: The CNA/NNOC negotiating team replaced a contract that was either silent on or undermined nursing practice and patient advocacy with one modeled on CNA's renowned protections. The new contract creates safe floating clusters and procedures, safe-staffing and nursing process language, and creates nurse-led, fully paid, Professional Practice Committees that have the power to address vital staffing, care, and practice issues. REVERSAL OF INA CONCESSIONS: The CNA/NNOC negotiating team was able to reverse years of INA concessions that had undermined compensation and nurse practice and patient advocacy for large numbers of County nurses. The new contract recoups pay inequities and exemptions that had shortchanged hundreds of nurses for years. Most importantly, the negotiating team was able to excise the County's antiquated and unjust "predisciplinary" hearing process that had empowered County supervisors to harass and intimidate nurse leaders that dared to speak up about unsafe staffing, nursing practice, and union issues. Finally, the new contract ensures that Advanced Practice Nurses, a vital component of County's nursing staff and of the CNA/ NNOC unit, are protected from any future efforts to exclude them from the bargaining unit based on potential developments in private-sector labor law. W W W. C A L N U R S E S . O R G REGISTERED NURSE 5

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