National Nurses United

WRAP-UP REPORT Clockwise from upper left: CNA/NNOC Copresident Cokie Giles, RN, and other Maine nurses gave health screenings as part of town hall meetings to promote Medicare for all; Des Peres Hospital RNs in St. Louis count votes for first contract win; Reno RNs Katie Polemini, Jamie Worley, and Darrella McGuire celebrate new contract; El Paso RNs score first contract ever. Missouri registered nurses at Des Peres Hospital in St. Louis achieved in October their firstever collective bargaining contract, citing important improvements in patient care protections and securing their employerpaid health coverage without changes at a time when so many workers face cuts in health benefits. The agreement also includes strong RN job security protections, along with economic gains. "Our contract gives us the tools we need to better advocate for our patients, while securing a future for our jobs and our families," said Eileen Wallhermfechtel, an orthopedics RN. To improve patient care, the pact bars mandatory overtime and limits the number of consecutive shifts without days off to reduce RN fatigue which can lead to medical errors, limits floating of RNs to areas where they do not have training or expertise, includes language that new hospital technology will not override RN clinical judgment, and establishes a committee of direct-care RNs elected by their colleagues to meet with management to address how to improve patient care. The agreement, which runs through Aug. 31, 2016, provides for wage increases of up to 7.75 percent with negotiations for a new agreement to begin April 2016. Des Peres RNs received a 2.5 percent raise earlier this year.  Des Peres is part of Tenet Healthcare, one of the largest hospital systems in the country. Overall, NNU affiliates represent 5,000 RNs at 13 Tenet hospitals in Florida, Texas, California, and Missouri. 10 N AT I O N A L N U R S E Nevada registered nurses at St. Mary's Regional Medical Center in Reno, Nev. voted in October to ratify a new collective bargaining contract that they say protects patient care standards and provides a safer workplace environment for nurses. It is the first contract that NNOCNevada has negotiated with St. Mary's since it was acquired by Prime Healthcare Services from Dignity Health (formerly Catholic Healthcare West) in 2012.   The pact, which covers 500 RNs, continues to require the hospital to meet safe, minimum nurse-to-patient ratios and includes a process whereby those ratios may be improved. Additionally, the pact provides supplemental insurance protection for nurses who are victims of workplace violence or needle stick accidents. The nurses also secured lower healthcare premiums, a 10 percent raise over the twoand-one-half year term of the contract, and up to three paid days off to attend continuing education classes. "As emergency room nurses, we treat every patient who comes through our door without hesitation," said RN Katie Polimeni. "Knowing that we have a workplace violence benefit and improved health insurance lets us continue the work of saving lives with the confidence that nurses and our families are protected." Texas registered nurses at El Paso's Providence Memorial Hospital and Sierra Medical Center ratified in November their first-ever W W W. N AT I O N A L N U R S E S U N I T E D . O R G collective bargaining contracts, winning significant patient care protections and economic improvements. Some 750 RNs at the two hospitals, part of the Tenet Healthcare system, are represented by National Nurses Organizing Committee-Texas. Key elements to the agreement were provisions that will strengthen the ability of RNs to address safe staffing, economic fairness in determining compensation, and more security over work scheduling. "We formed a union so we could have fair treatment and economic justice," said Sierra RN Monica Martell. "When we agreed to the contract which created a wage system that rewarded years of experience and eliminated the cap on wages for long-term nurses, people really saw the benefit of being part of a union." On patient care, the contract requires to hospital to maintain a patient classification system that determines staffing by individual patient need, not budgetary priorities, and gives direct care RNs the ability to review and intervene with management to adjust staffing levels. The agreements also bar unsafe floating and mandatory overtime, which is critical to reducing RN fatigue that can lead to medical error. All the RNs will receive guaranteed pay increases of up to 8 percent over the next three years. But most importantly for the RNs, the nurses will now have the assurance of a transparent pay scale based on years of experience, rather than wages that are tied to the preference of hospital managers. —Staff report NOVEMBER 2013

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