By Mary O’KEEFE

Registered nurses and hospital administrators have reached a tentative agreement on a new contract covering 200 registered nurses in the bargaining unit at USC Verdugo Hills Hospital.

The RNs, affiliated with the California Nurses Association (CNA), state the agreement includes significant improvements and workplace protections that will enhance their ability to provide quality patient care.  Nurses voted on contract ratification on Wednesday (the results were not available prior to press time).

“Everyone will benefit from the provisions in the new agreement – our patients, visitors, healthcare workers and the community,” said Lisa Ryken, RN. “This [agreement] will enable us to retain and maintain better nurses.”

The nurses wanted to get benefits and wages that would be comparable to those of their sister hospitals of USC Keck. This agreement may not bring them to the exact same rates but a lot closer, thereby providing them a more even playing field when attempting to entice the best nurses to VHH and to maintain them once they arrive.

One of the other items in the new contract agreement included a commitment to a lift program. This will help both nurses and the patients by having guidelines as to how nurses can lift and transfer patients from one place to another, like from a bed to a wheelchair.

“It is a safety issue,” Ryken said.

The CNA had a difficult negotiation in 2015 when members accused USC-VHH administration of not listening to what nurses were truly asking for; however, this time Ryken and Dinorah Williams, CNA representative, said the administration seemed to listen in different ways.

“I feel they did listen to the nurses,” Ryken said. “But it wasn’t completely easy.”

But it was the work with other nurses, and their support that made this negotiation possible, Williams said.

“We are grateful to the union, CNA, for giving us a voice. Without them this would not have been possible,” Ryken said.

According to CNA the highlights of the contract include:

•  Economic gains to improve retention of experienced RNs and recruitment of new RNs, including a revised step system that enhances recognition of former nursing experience and raises ranging from at least 12% up to 31% over the 38-month term of the agreement.

•  Improved retirement plan benefits.

•  Maintenance of all health insurance benefit plans, without reduction in coverage or greater cost to employees.

•  Stepped up health and safety provisions to improve safe patient handling.

•  Free USC tuition for RNs and their children.

•  Increased rest periods to prevent fatigue and assure alert care.

CNA represents more than 95,000 RNs in California and is affiliated with National Nurses United (NNU), which represents over 150,000 nurses coast to coast and is one of the fastest growing unions in the U.S.

  Mary Okeefe