Contract Will Improve Patient Care and Strengthen County Health System

 
In a critical breakthrough, after 15 months of bargaining and a recent two-day strike, Contra Costa County nurses have reached a tentative agreement with the County, the California Nurses Association announced today.
 
“We are pleased that the County has listened to nurses, and we feel that this agreement will help us retain the experienced nurses that our patients deserve,” said Kathy Avila, RN. “We’re grateful to all the supporters in the community who stood by us and helped us advocate for better patient care and working conditions.”
 
Nurses must still approve the settlement. Membership meetings will be held Tuesday, Nov. 3 through Thursday, Nov. 5, when the nurses will vote on whether to ratify the agreement, which features protections including:
 
Retention of experienced nurses: The major concern for nurses during negotiations was the retaining of experienced nurses to care for County patients—often some of the most vulnerable members of the community. In the last year alone, over 100 nurses left the County for jobs at other hospitals in the region, in part due to significant wage disparities.
 
To that end, the tentative agreement features a 16% wage increase that begins to close the pay gap with nearby, private-sector hospitals.  It also features an industry-standard wage scale that nurses believe will aid in recruitment and retention.
 
“The County has been a training ground for private hospitals; we have seen so many nurses leave after a few years to go somewhere with better working conditions. This not only hurts patient care but also the public, who end up footing the bill,” says Rosalind Walker, Surgical Unit RN. “This agreement puts an end to that trajectory, and that is a huge victory for our patients.”
 
Protected healthcare and retirement: The agreement includes no reductions in healthcare and retirement benefits —which is important, nurses say, because these, in conjunction with the economic improvements, help retain experienced nurses.

“When we spend years of our lives providing care for others, it’s nice for nurses to know that we are cared for in turn—that we have access to high-quality healthcare for our families, and that we will be able to have a secure retirement someday,” says Walker.  

No mandatory overtime: Nurses also laud the continued inclusion of a ban on mandatory overtime in the contract. The ban on mandatory overtime ensures that nurses are not forced to work without sufficient rest —a major benefit to patient care, as studies have shown that lack of proper rest can lead to errors.

“It is not always easy to raise your voice and demand the kind of meaningful change that is necessary in order to keep experienced nurses around, to the benefit of those we care for,” said Liz Isenberg, an Intensive Care Unit RN. “But it’s our job to fight for our patients, and I am just so proud that County nurses stood together—gathering all of our courage—and we did not back down until that change happened. This is a moment to celebrate.”
 
If ratified, the agreement will run through December 31, 2017.