National Nurses United

D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 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 N A T I O N A L N U R S E 11 California COMMUNITY HOSPITAL LONG BEACH registered nurses voted Dec. 30 to approve their first-ever collective bargaining agreement at Community Hospital Long Beach, part of the Memorial Care Health System. The agreement calls for election by nurses of a professional practice committee of bedside RNs to meet with management on a regular basis to address patient care issues such as safe staffing and the introduction of new technology; institution of a pay scale that ties pay increases to years of experience, as well are other economic gains such as secure health insurance and retirement benefits; and support of nurses' fulfillment of continuing education requirements. Nurses will receive an immediate 3 to 6 percent wage increase in January 2015 and up to 16 percent over the three-year course of the contract. "From the beginning, this has always been about our ability to provide safe patient care," said Jackie McKay, RN, ICU. "Nurses at Community Hospital Long Beach are thrilled to have a contract that gives nurses a voice in staffing and patient care and improves our ability to advocate for our patients." TENET HEALTH registered nurses at six Tenet Health hospitals from Northern to Southern Califor- nia ratified in mid December a new four-year agreement covering some 3,000 RNs with the hospital system that protects health coverage and provides for pension and economic gains. These facilities include Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, Doctors Medical Center of Modesto, Los Alamitos Medical Center, San Ramon Regional Medical Center, Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center in San Luis Obispo, and Twin Cities Commu- nity Hospital in Templeton. "Nurses are happy and excited about the gains we have made," said Laura Bruce, an RN at Desert Regional. "The agreement strengthens our ability to provide the best care for our patients." RNs were successful in maintaining their fully employer- paid family medical coverage and in securing increased contributions to the RN retirement plan. Additionally, the agreement builds on existing commitments by Tenet to adhere to state laws and regulatory protections, including the new safeguards adopted by the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration for nurses who care for Ebola patients. District of Columbia the 400 registered nurses of Providence Hospital, part of the Ascension Health hospital chain, have won their first-ever collective bargaining agreement in early December. Key provisions of the agreement include important gains on safe staffing and a stronger voice for RNs in patient care deci- sions, guaranteed pay increases, and work- place protections. "From the beginning, this has always been about our ability to provide safe patient care," said Donna Fleming- Cobey, an intermediate care unit RN who has worked at Providence 18 years. "I am proud to say that Providence nurses have finally gained a voice in staffing and patient care." Safe patient care staffing was a key issue for the RNs throughout the negotiation process, which included a one-day strike in November. Under the contract, Providence RNs won gains common to NNU contracts, such as election of a professional practice committee with the power to address patient care issues, paid meal and rest breaks, and a wage structure based on nursing experi- ence—with all RNs enjoying increases of at least 6 percent over three years and some up to 25 percent or more. Providence also agreed to follow federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration guidelines on infectious diseases and assure paid time off for nurses exposed to infectious disease. International a small delegation of NNU nurse leaders on climate justice journeyed to Lima, Peru in early December to participate in a People's Climate Summit, coinciding with the United Nations' "Conference of the Parties" meeting on climate. While there, the nurses hammered home that climate change is a major public health issue, advocated for a just transition in education and job training for workers as part of the necessary move to a greener economy, and showed solidarity with other unions and environmental groups. The nurses marched with nearly a quarter million other activists for climate justice. They also met with the Peruvian nurses union and laid the foundation for future work together through Global Nurses United. Read about the nurses' experiences in their own words through their entries on the NNU blog at www.nationalnursesunited.org/blog. National in what has become an annual holiday tradition, the Gallup Poll announced in December that registered nurses are once again viewed as the most trusted profession in the United States. RNs are viewed as having "very high" or "high" ethical and honesty standards by 80 percent of the public, a full 15 points higher than any other profession in the survey. Nurses have topped the list each year since they were first included in 1999, with the exception of 2001 when firefighters were included in response to their work during and after the 9/11 attacks. Car salespeople, lobbyists, and members of Congress were rated lowest. —Staff report WRAP-UP REPORT From left: Tenet RNs ratifying their contract; RNs Lara Norkus-Crampton, Jean Ross, and Erin Car- rera marching for climate justice in Lima, Peru.

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