Nurses union reaches deal on H1N1 safety in U.S.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - After months of talks, the largest U.S. nurses union and California's biggest nonprofit healthcare chain have agreed to safeguards that the nurses believe may serve as a national model for curbing H1N1 swine flu in hospitals.
The H1N1 pact, announced on Monday as part of a contract settlement between the California Nurses Association and Catholic Healthcare West, averted a one-day strike threatened by thousands of registered nurses at more than 30 hospitals.
Already one of the most powerful political forces in California, the CNA is working to merge soon with the United American Nurses and the Massachusetts Nurses Association, a move that would create a combined union of 150,000 nurses.
The accord addresses complaints by nurses in California and elsewhere that many hospitals are ill-prepared for a surge in H1N1 cases. Among other problems, they cite shortages of special face masks recommended for medical personnel and a lack of patient-isolation rooms to contain flu transmission.