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M A R C H | A P R I L 2 0 1 7 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 5 CALIFORNIA R egistered nurses at 28 Dignity Health hospitals and clinics in Cali- fornia and Nevada in March ratified a new four-year collective bargaining agreement that protects their health coverage and economic and retirement security. CNA and NNOC-Nevada represent 13,000 Dignity RNs, among 150,000 NNU members overall. "This is a significant achievement, protecting the standards for patients and nurses that Dignity RNs have long fought to win," said CNA/NNOC Co-President Debo- rah Burger, RN. "We congratulate the Digni- ty RNs for their consistent and unified advocacy for their patients and their colleagues." Under the agreement, all represented Dignity RNs will earn pay increases of at least 12 percent over the life of the pact, plus additional increases based on years of serv- ice. And in an era of growing employer and government attacks on health coverage and retirement security, the agreement assures maintenance of health coverage and employer-funded pensions for Dignity RNs through the life of the contract. All other existing contract provisions, including extensive patient care protections and a supplemental insurance plan for RNs injured in workplace assaults or injuries, are maintained. "At a time when unions are being target- ed throughout the country, coupled with an aggressive administration of billionaires in charge of the economy and industrial rela- tions, I applaud the Dignity nurses for rati- fying this new agreement," said Kathy Dennis, RN at Mercy General Hospital in Sacramento. "We have protected our patients and our contract terms." "Las Vegas nurses are delighted with this agreement," said Melanie Sisson, an RN working at St. Rose Dominican. "Our nurses turned out in large numbers to overwhelm- ingly ratify the agreement. We protected our contract that includes nurse-to-patient ratios that are crucial for our patients and nurses." Bakersfield RN Sandy Reding offered thanks to "our nurses who turned up at the meetings and ratification votes to endorse our tentative agreement with Dignity Health. In the current adversarial political climate, we have achieved a strong four-year settlement. The agreement will help recruit and retain nurses." "We are pleased that we were able to lock in substantial wage increases, over the life of this four-year contract," said Joe Geiger, RN at Marian Regional Medical Center in Santa Maria. Geiger noted that from his facility's first contract "to the end of this contract we just ratified, new grad rates will have risen 225 percent, and wage rates for RNs with 30 or more years experi- ence will have risen 233 percent. At the same time, we have seen tremendous improvements to patient care and staffing, as we were able to achieve state mandated RN to patient ratio legislation through our union as well." —Staff report Dignity RNs win stellar new master contract Preserve and improve pact at time of attacks on workers