National Nurses United

WRAP-UP REPORT California registered nurses at three Los Angeles- area hospitals operated by the Providence Health and Services chain ratified contracts in late July that they say addresses key concerns about staffing and pay equity. The pact affects Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Centers in San Pedro and Torrance and Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica. For RNs at the Little Compa- ny of Mary facilities in San Pedro and Torrance, this will be their first contract, a fact celebrated by RNs. It was also a hard-won agreement, requiring one-day strikes on May 1 in Santa Monica and Torrance. The contracts cover 740 RNs at the Torrance hospital, 540 in Santa Monica, and 320 in San Pedro. "We worked hard for our patients and we want to provide the best possible care for them," said Sheila Mercado, a Torrance labor and delivery RN. "Achieving our first union contract with CNA is a significant step for nurses continuing to advocate for the safety of our patients." Economic gains and pay equity with area hospitals were critical to reducing RN turnover at the Providence facilities as all three have been plagued by the loss of expe- rienced RNs who leave to work in other Los Angeles-area hospitals with CNA contracts. At Saint John's Santa Monica, for example, in their second-ever contract, all RNs will receive pay increases of at least 22 percent over the four years of the agreement, with some earning as much as a 30 percent pay increase based on pay equity adjustments. Patient care improvements include limits on assignment of RNs to work in units outside their specialty expertise, limits on mandatory overtime, and RN professional practice committees of direct-care RNs to assure a stronger patient advocacy voice for RNs. Elsewhere in Southern California, RNs who work at the City of Hope National Medical Center in Duarte, Calif. voted overwhelmingly in June to approve a new, three-year contract they say will strengthen their ability to protect patients, as well as provide good economic gains for the 850 RNs at the facility. Illinois after many months of hard work and organizing, more than 1,200 registered nurs- es who work at Cook County Health and Hospitals system, the main public health network serving the greater Chicago area, approved a new contract in July that they say addresses many patient care concerns and provides needed economic improvements. "Our agreement moves us forward signif- icantly, with strong new language regarding infectious diseases that will allow us to address our concerns both as new outbreaks occur and on an ongoing basis," said Rochelle Lowe, neonatal intensive care RN at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital. Cook County RNs had been working without a contract for several years, during which time they have engaged in numerous actions to pressure the county to properly respect the nurses, including multiple rallies and pickets, testimony by hundreds of RNs before the city council and other public agencies, participation in numerous local and state actions, and a nearly unanimous vote to strike if necessary. The RNs' effort has paid off with an agreement they say addresses key patient care concerns, including staffing language that requires all county facilities to adhere to their own staffing plans, a step needed to help fill staffing shortages that have long plagued the system. The contract will also provide RNs additional time to provide the full scope of nursing care patients need. The RNs for the first time also won contract language to require safe patient handling procedures, including lift teams or other staff trained in lifting techniques, to reduce the danger of nurse injuries. The agreement also steps up protections to limit the spread of infectious diseases by directing the county to provide the proper personal protective equipment and optimal interactive training, and the right of RNs to refuse to care for patients if the proper protec- tive equipment is not provided. Other impor- tant patient care gains include expanded limits on mandatory overtime and mandatory shift rotation, in which nurses can be required to work alternating day and night shifts. On economic matters, all Cook County RNs will receive a 10.75 percent pay increase over the life of the agreement, including a retroactive pay increase, along with other economic gains. The RNs also succeeded in persuading county officials to withdraw various take- aways. Maine some 800 registered nurses at Eastern Maine Medical Center (EMMC) voted over- whelmingly on July 10 to ratify a new collec- tive bargaining contract. A centerpiece of the contract is the commitment of the hospital to hire 30 additional RNs to alleviate staffing shortages, reduction of patient care assign- ments for RNs working night shifts, and expansion of the use of "resource nurses" to Left to right: Chicago Cook County RNs urge approval of their latest contract; Washington Hospital Center RN John Estenor testifies before a committee of the District of Columbia City Council in favor of passing safe staffing ratios legislation for DC hospitals. 8 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 J U LY | A U G U S T 2 0 1 5 NEWS BRIEFS

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