Calif: Nurses score big with Kaiser pact

Nurses Activism

Published

Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal, Deptember 13th

Troy May

More than 10,000 Northern California nurses will receive major increases in salary, putting some over the $100,000-a-year mark, as part of a proposed contract with their union's largest employer, nonprofit health system Kaiser Permanente.

The California Nurses Association contract, which also includes a ban on mandatory overtime, a new pension plan and early retirement benefits, could set the parameters for future labor negotiations between nurses and their employers.

The new agreement would affect more than 10,600 registered nurses and nurse practitioners at 54 Kaiser facilities in Northern California. Kaiser represents the single largest contract for the nurses union...

http://www.bizjournals.com/industries/health_care/hospitals/2002/09/16/sanjose_story4.html?t=printable

TROY MAY covers health care and health sciences for the Business Journal.

Hope those union RN know how to empty garbage and serve meal trays!

It is exactly the opposite. If a businessman pays a person $50/hr, he is not going to be spending all his time trying to figure out how to lose $40/hr by getting them to do a $10/hr job.

In my experience that kind of increase is followed by firing of CNA's and having nurses do primary care to make up for it. NOT worth it. Now RN's get to change beds, clean poop etc and ruin their backs while trying to do IV's on 5 acute care patients. Rather make less money and do what I was trained to do.

I can only assume that you have a worthless union, or none at all. There is no reason to put up with this kind of treatment. You did not go to college to empty trash, clean up patients with no assistance, etc. Nurses put up with this, that is why hospitals get away with it. This is their "punishment" to you for demanding better pay. It is up to YOU not to let them get away with it.

It is worth repeating again- stupid is as stupid does. JMHO, and my NY $0.02.

Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN

Spokane, Washington

In my experience that kind of increase is followed by firing of CNA's and having nurses do primary care to make up for it. NOT worth it. Now RN's get to change beds, clean poop etc and ruin their backs while trying to do IV's on 5 acute care patients. Rather make less money and do what I was trained to do.

This sounds like the kind of intimidation and misinformation that management groups will use to counter union organizing campaigns.

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