Largest Sutter, Alta Bates-Summit Medical Center Is Second RN Contract Settlement

Main Category: Nursing / Midwifery
Article Date: 24 Aug 2008 - 0:00 PDT

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Ending a 15 month-long contract fight which included three strikes and a legislative campaign, registered nurses at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center became the second Sutter hospital to reach a tentative agreement after meeting with a federal mediator early Wednesday morning, the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee (CNA/NNOC) announced recently.

Agreements were reached on pivotal patient protection issues, including precedent setting language on staffing with designated RNs for meal and break relief and safe lifting policies to prevent patient falls and RN back injuries. Additional achievements include pension and retiree health enhancements, an op-out of the controversial wellness program, and pay increases of 22 percent over the life of the contract which is expected to significantly improve recruitment and retention of experienced nurses.

The tentative pact is being recommended by the CNA/NNOC RN bargaining team and will be voted on by ABSMC RNs in upcoming membership meetings. CNA/NNOC represents more than 1,900 RNs at the three campuses which include the Alta Bates and Herrick in Berkeley and Summit in Oakland. The expiration date for the new contract is June 30, 2011.

"This has been a long and hard fight, but the nurses were determined to win the patient care protections that allow us to provide safe quality care that our community deserves," said Jan Rodolfo, an oncology nurse from Summit Medical Center and a member of the CNA/NNOC nurse negotiating team. "Other improvements such as better retirement and salaries that bring us up to par with Bay Area standards will greatly assist us in recruiting as well as retaining experienced RNs."

"The unity and commitment of Sutter RNs throughout Northern California to win safe staffing through designated meal and break relief nurses, has made this a reality," said Efren Garza, an RN in adolescent psychiatry at Herrick Hospital who is on the CNA/NNOC nurse negotiating committee.

Tentative Agreements Include:

Meal and rest period safe staffing:

Nursing matrices to be reviewed by a RN staffing committee, which will identify the number of nurses without a patient care assignment, number of meal and break relief nurses, which will increase incrementally with an increase in direct care RNs, and the number of ancillary staff.. Matrices must satisfy legal obligations to staff by ratios and severity of patient illness. Disputes are subject to arbitration.

Safe patient handling program:

Incorporates RNs professional judgment and clinical assessment, ergonomic training in safe lifting techniques for all RNs and ancillary personnel, substantial investment in sufficient safe lifting equipment on each unit to enable safe lifts, repositioning and transport of patients.

Pension enhancement:

$1500 one (1) time contributions to a 403(b) plan for benefitted RNs with 5 years of service, providing a benefit to a substantial majority of RNs.

Healthcare Improvements:

1. Establishment of a Retiree Healthcare Account (RHCA)
2. Benefits range from $28,000 to $35,000 1/1/09
3. Reduced prescription drug costs at Peralta Pharmacy, including mail order prescriptions
4. Physician directed option without intrusive wellness survey:

Wage increases:

22 percent over term of the agreement
05/1/08 5% (implemented)
10/1/08 2%
03/1/09 3%
09/1/09 3%
03/1/10 3%
09/1/10 3%
03/1/11 3%

Additional gains include:

- Added 15 new 0.6 positions
- Language to protect CNA/NNOC-represented RNs/NPs right to union representation
- Increased paid hours for RNs on CNA/NNOC contract professional practice committee which monitors and documents unsafe practices in the hospital.
- Replace $5,000 life insurance with new policy capped at $50,000
- Increase in family members for bereavement leave
- Paid release time for up to 15 RNs to participate in CNA/NNOC's disaster relief program, the Registered Nurse Response Network (RNRN)
- Increases in per diem rates, and differentials for shift, charge nurse, relief charge nurse and preceptors.

Negotiations with other Sutter facilities are scheduled over the next few weeks, including:

Marin General Hospital-Aug. 20
Delta Medical Center-Aug. 26,
Santa Rosa Medical Center-Sept. 5
Eden/San Leandro Medical Centers-Sept. 12.
Novato community Hospital-Sept. 28
Negotiations are expected also to be scheduled for Sutter Solano Medical Center.

Over 4,000 CNA/NNOC RNs at 10 Sutter hospitals have been in bargaining. These include: St. Luke's Hospital and California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco, San Leandro Hospital, Alta Bates-Summit Medical Center in Berkeley and Oakland, Mills-Peninsula Health Services in Burlingame and San Mateo, Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley, Sutter Delta in Antioch, and Sutter Solano in Vallejo.

California Nurses Association