Tentative agreement diminishes threat of strike by Catholic Health West nurses

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

"The labor gap has been a crucial issue for both sides during negotiations.

Otherwise, Mercy and CNA officials did agree on several significant points,

including a first-time health care program for retirees and additional pay

ranging from $80 to $180 per shift for nurses who work extra hours to

alleviate shortages."

> Tentative agreement diminishes threat of strike by nurses

>

>

>

> By Cathleen Ferraro

> Bee Staff Writer

> (Published June 26, 2001)

>

> Thousands of Northern California registered nurses ready to walk off their

> hospital jobs Wednesday have scrapped those plans after their union and

> employer came to a tentative contract agreement.

> The California Nurses Association and Catholic Healthcare West, parent of

> the Sacramento-area Mercy units and Woodland Healthcare, reached a proposed

> two-year accord early Saturday morning that, so far, is keeping nurses on

> the job.

> Locally, the one-day strike was scheduled to hit Mercy General, Mercy San

> Juan Medical Center, Mercy Folsom, Methodist Hospital and Woodland

> Healthcare, involving almost 1,700 RNs.

> St. Mary's Medical Center and St. Francis Memorial in San Francisco,

> Dominican Hospital in Gilroy {actually in Santa Cruz--ed.] and Seton

> Medical Center in Daly City were targeted for walkouts, too. About 1,400

> union RNs were poised to strike in the Bay Area.

> Instead, bargaining units for both sides said RNs will cast ballots

> Wednesday, Thursday and Friday on the tentative pact. Pivotal in the vote

> will be the fact that the union didn't fully agree to CHW's wage proposal,

> a 7.5 percent increase in the first year and a 4 percent hike in the second.

> "We're not saying 'no' and we're not saying 'yes,' " said Don Nielsen,

> chief negotiator for CNA. "It's a tossup for us, and we're asking the

> nurses to tell us what they want."

> Already, Mercy gave all of its RNs in Sacramento an interim pay increase of

> 6 percent in May. That 6 percent would be part of the 7.5 percent proposed

> in the contract.

> Additionally, Mercy and CNA agreed that all RNs with five to 20 years of

> experience at Mercy will be eligible for extra pay because of their long

> tenure.

> Under the terms of the tentative contract, compensation will depend on

> their current pay compared to salary benchmarks.

> "We believe about 400 nurses will receive additional wage increases on top

> of the contract proposal," estimated Jill Dryer, spokeswoman for CHW in

> Sacramento. "With these increases, our pay rate will be competitive within

> the area's health care market."

> Nationwide, a shortage of nurses is forcing hospitals to come up with

> better ways to recruit and retain qualified people.

> The labor gap has been a crucial issue for both sides during negotiations.

> Otherwise, Mercy and CNA officials did agree on several significant points,

> including a first-time health care program for retirees and additional pay

> ranging from $80 to $180 per shift for nurses who work extra hours to

> alleviate shortages.

> Meanwhile, CNA continued to bargain Monday over nurses' wages and

> conditions at Woodland Healthcare. Negotiators for Woodland did not meet

> Friday when the union and officials for Sacramento Mercy hospitals were

> bargaining.

> Catholic Healthcare West is one of the biggest health care systems in the

> western United States. It operates 47 hospitals and five medical practice

> groups in California, Arizona and Nevada. The company also oversees care

> for 300,000 patients and employs about 40,000 people.

> -------

> The Bee's Cathleen Ferraro can be reached at [phone] or

> [email protected].

>

>