Issue link: https://nnumagazine.uberflip.com/i/447779
M ore than 14,000 Kaiser Permanente registered nurses and nurse practi- tioners ratified in September what is likely the best union contract for nurses in the country, continuing their tradition of set- ting some of the highest standards for the nursing profession. The five-year master contract, which spells out all aspects of working conditions, patient care standards, wages, benefits, and a host of other topics, covers RNs and NPs working for Kaiser's 70 northern and central California facilities. They represent the largest private-sector group of unionized RNs/NPs in the United States. The nurse bargaining team secured major economic, patient care, nursing practice, and infrastructure gains, making Kaiser RNs/NPs some of the highest-compensated nurses in the country, with one of the safest practice environments and tools they can use to increase the influence of nurses within Kaiser. But most notably, the hospital system became the first in the country to agree that it wouldn't challenge the rights of its nurses to union representation – something nurses fear will happen after an impending National Labor Relations Board ruling that's expected to reclassify nurses as "supervisors" and make them ineligible to join unions. (see Kentucky River news story for more infor- mation) "This is the most comprehensive package I've ever seen," said Deborah Burger, a Kaiser Santa Rosa diabetes management RN who also sits as CNA/NNOC presi- dent and chair of the Kaiser bargaining team. "The provi- sions here are groundbreaking for us and the rest of the coun- try. We're very pleased that Kaiser heard the RNs' and NPs' issues." Nurses who bargained the contract like to joke that the agreement includes 181 improve- ments and one $5 co-pay for office visits to the doctor – the one small concession they made. The gains are too numerous to describe individually, but high- lights follow. In the area of compensation and benefits, nurses will receive a 26.5 percent pay raise over the five-year contract term, with an extra 3 per- cent for RNs/NPs with more than 30 years of service. Starting April 2007, nurses with 15 years of benefited service who reach age 65 will receive retiree health benefits for them- selves, spouse/domestic partner and legal dependents with no premium co-pays. The pension formula was enhanced for nurses, at a time when other workers are losing their defined benefit pensions or seeing them weakened. The cap on dental benefits was raised $200 after staying at $1,000 for more than 30 years. Most importantly for Kaiser nurses working in the northern and central California commu- 8 R E G I S T E R E D N U R S E W W W . C A L N U R S E S . O R G O C T O B E R 2 0 0 6 NewsBriefs Kaiser RNs Win Stunning Gains in New Contract, Making it Perhaps Best in Nation CALIFORNIA RNs from Kaiser Permanente in Fresno celebrate their contract ratification and show support of Prop. 89.