New Pact Improves Protections for Patients and Nurses

Registered Nurses at Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital in Hollister, Ca. have reached a tentative agreement on a new contract ensuring vital patient care and nursing practice protections, the California Nurses Association announced today. 

RNs will vote on the agreement Friday, September 23. The new pact covers the 120 registered nurses at Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital, a public hospital that serves residents of the San Benito County Health District. The district includes two skilled nursing facilities, home health care and several clinics.

The agreement comes after five months of concerted actions by nurses to fend off management proposals that they say would have undermined their ability to provide safe quality patient care. The hospital spent over one million dollars of public funds to hire one of the largest law firms in the nation, specializing in "union avoidance" and labor relations strategies, to advise them in contract negotiations. Despite this, the nurses prevailed in winning an agreement that preserves and improves safe nursing standards, addresses the hospital's chronic short staffing, improves retention and recruitment, and strengthens the voice of RNs in patient care.

“The nurse negotiating team is ecstatic over this tentative agreement and particularly proud of the new contract language we won which will give nurses a real voice in patient care and nursing practice decisions,” says Shanell Kerkes, RN, Emergency Department. "We want to thank the more than 300 Hollister residents who put out our signs of support, stood with us at hospital board of directors’ meetings, and offered to help in many other ways. As public sector nurses who chose to live and work here in San Benito County, our nurses have always seen our patients as friends, family and neighbors and we couldn't have reached this new agreement without them.”

“Our overriding concern has always been chronic short-staffing, and retention and recruitment of RNs. With the protections we secured and the contract language we created we will finally begin to address these important issues," said Rene Stewart-Holmes, RN, Labor and Delivery. "Today is a huge victory, nearly two years in the making, and it happened because nurses and our community members came together as one. Our RNs should be extremely proud of what we have won for our patients, neighbors and nursing practice.”

Highlights of the agreement include:

• Improved contract protections against unsafe staffing practices including adequate meal and rest breaks and 12-hour rest periods between shifts.
• Maintenance of pension, health and dental plan coverage.
• Improved contract language expanding the use of regular employees over temporary contract workers including posting RN positions as regular tiered positions after they are vacant for 3 months and ensuring that part-time and per diem RNs have seniority in scheduling over temporary nurses.
• Creation of a Nurse Quality Forum in which RNs meet with management to address patient care and working conditions, including staffing, standards, training, and workplace injuries.
• Defeated pension plan takeaways.
• Economic gains to help with nurse recruitment and retention that include raises of nine percent over the term of the four-year contract.