New Pact Improves Protections for Patients and Nurses

Registered Nurses at Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital in Hollister, Ca. voted unanimously to ratify a new contract ensuring vital patient care and nursing practice protections, the California Nurses Association announced today.

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 contract 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.  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 new contract is a testament to what registered nurses can achieve when we stand together and stand up as advocates for safe patient care," said Jeanie Kraml, RN, ICU. "Moving forward, the RNs plan to continue our public advocacy to ensure that hospital management and our elected board of directors listens and responds to the frontline nurses' calls for improved staffing, retention and recruitment, and the highest standards of patient care."

"This could never have happened without the unity and courage of our 120 nurses, and the community,” says Diane Beck, RN, Medical-Surgical Department. "The nurses especially want to thank all of our incredible neighbors who supported us and have truly proven that Hazel Hawkins belongs to ‘we the people.’”

Highlights of the contract include:

• Improved contract protections against unsafe staffing practices including adequate meal and rest breaks and 12-hour rest periods between shifts.
• Maintains 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.