Nurses at the Los Angeles Medical Center are set to get a pay raise, overtime protections and more professional support under the terms of a tentative collective bargaining agreement struck Thursday.
In reaching the agreement, the California Nurses Assn., the union representing 1,200 registered nurses employed at the hospital, and Kaiser Permanente, which owns the Hollywood facility, ended 17 months of contract negotiations that included two short-term strikes.
“The nurses felt relieved that all of the issues and concerns that they have raised across the table have now gotten to fruition,” said the union’s co-president and bargaining team chair, Zenei Cortez.
Kaiser Permanente did not respond to a request for comment.
The nurses union had argued that the hospital was understaffed, forcing nurses to “float” to other departments where they were not as experienced and negatively affecting patient care. The union had also called for a new wage and benefits package; a union representative previously told The Times that nurses received their last pay increase in 2011.
The proposed agreement includes an across-the-board pay raise of 34% over the next four years, Cortez said. It also prevents mandatory overtime and protects nurses’ current healthcare and pension benefits. Wages vary with experience and seniority, but the average annual wage for a registered nurse in California in 2015 was $101,260, according to data from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The agreement limits the use of floating nurses and includes provisions to hire additional staff nurses locally. It also establishes a “professional practice committee” — an elected group of nurses who will discuss concerns about patient care and safety with hospital management.
This is the Kaiser nurses’ first collective bargaining agreement with the California Nurses Assn., after joining the union in 2015. The union’s bargaining team voted unanimously to approve the agreement, and staff nurses at the Los Angeles Medical Center are set to vote on the package Tuesday and Wednesday.
If ratified, the agreement marks another victory in California for organized labor, which has seen gains in the state despite a decades-long decline in membership nationally. The California Nurses Assn. successfully fought to make California the first state in the country to require a minimum patient-to-nurse ratio, with the law taking effect in 2004. It has seen its membership grow by 400% over the last 15 years, according to its website.
At a press conference, President Trump shrugged off a rocky start. An executive order has been drafted to end protection for ‘Dreamers,’ who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children. New York real estate scion Robert Durst confessed to killing a writer, a witness said in court. The Governors Ball after the Oscars will be decked out for the stars.
At a press conference, President Trump shrugged off a rocky start. An executive order has been drafted to end protection for ‘Dreamers,’ who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children. New York real estate scion Robert Durst confessed to killing a writer, a witness said in court. The Governors Ball after the Oscars will be decked out for the stars.
At a press conference, President Trump shrugged off a rocky start. An executive order has been drafted to end protection for ‘Dreamers,’ who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children. New York real estate scion Robert Durst confessed to killing a writer, a witness said in court. The Governors Ball after the Oscars will be decked out for the stars.
At a press conference, President Trump shrugged off a rocky start. An executive order has been drafted to end protection for ‘Dreamers,’ who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children. New York real estate scion Robert Durst confessed to killing a writer, a witness said in court. The Governors Ball after the Oscars will be decked out for the stars.
Nickel Diner owners, Kristen Trattner and Monica May, closed their restaurant in downtown Los Angeles for the day in solidarity with a national "Day Without Immigrants." (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times )
Nickel Diner owners, Kristen Trattner and Monica May, closed their restaurant in downtown Los Angeles for the day in solidarity with a national “Day Without Immigrants.” (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times )
Kenneth Turan and Justin Chang chat about the 2017 Academy Awards, and which movie might win for best Picture.
Kenneth Turan and Justin Chang chat about the 2017 Academy Awards, and which movie might win for best Picture.
President Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. A powerful new storm is expected to wallop Southern California on Friday. L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti says backers of Measure S are engaged in "dirty tricks." 16-year-old Mauricio Gomez is from El Salvador, a country with one of the highest murder rates in the world.
President Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. A powerful new storm is expected to wallop Southern California on Friday. L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti says backers of Measure S are engaged in “dirty tricks.” 16-year-old Mauricio Gomez is from El Salvador, a country with one of the highest murder rates in the world.
Harvard-Westlake wins 1A opener
Harvard-Westlake wins 1A opener
Our editors found this article on this site using Google and regenerated it for our readers.
