Registered nurses at San Leandro Hospital have reached a tentative agreement on a new contract that extends safe patient care standards, strengthens nurse recruitment and retention, and improves educational opportunities for RNs, the California Nurses Association announced today.

RNs will vote on the agreement October 18. The new pact covers the 200 registered nurses at San Leandro Hospital, part of the Alameda Health System.

“This is a big victory for our nurses, and for our community,” said Lisa LaFave, RN. “We’re proud of the new features of this agreement that support our ability to care for our patients—and the great features of our last contract that we fought hard to maintain. We collectively made very clear what was necessary to reach an agreement, and Alameda Health System listened to nurses.”

Contract highlights include:

Economic gains for improved recruitment and retention: A 16 percent across the board wage increase over the next two years helps the hospital recruit and retain the most experienced nurses for the community.

Improved educational opportunities: With enhancement to reimbursements for required courses and new language allowing RNs to complete some continuing education from home, nurses say this contract will ensure patients have access to nurses with the most up-to-date training.

Safe staffing protections: The contract maintains existing safe staffing protections, say nurses, and empowers nurse committees to take on any future staffing issues, to the benefit of safe patient care.

No significant takeaways. Nurses fought hard to defeat proposed takeaways to healthcare and benefits, an aspect of the new pact that also helps with RN recruitment and retention, say nurses.

“Our nurses are thrilled to have stood strong, and the new agreement will help us provide safe and effective patient care for our community,” said Carol Barazi, RN.

If approved, the new contract would run through December 31, 2018.