Registered nurses have reached a tentative contract agreement with San Mateo County that they say will lead to improved patient care and strengthen the County health system. Nurses secured wage improvements that will help retain experienced nurses, added workplace violence protections, and expanded a committee of RNs tasked with addressing patient care concerns, among other gains.

The California Nurses Association/National Nurses United represents 352 RNs who work throughout the County’s healthcare system, including at San Mateo Medical Center, County clinics, and the Public Health and Sheriffs Department. Nurses must still approve the settlement. Membership meetings will be held February 23 and 24, where the RNs will vote on whether to ratify the agreement.

“Nurses secured a contract that ensures we will be able to deliver the best possible care. The nurse negotiators would not give up on our patients,” says Nicole van Stijgeren, an Emergency Department RN at San Mateo Medical Center.

The wage increase was necessary to help retain experienced nurses, says Van Stijgeren, due to the fact that, on average, San Mateo County RNs’ wages had lagged behind other counties by 7.5 percent. A recent grad could expect to make more at Kaiser than an RN who had been with the County for 20 years. This created a retention problem, putting San Mateo County at risk of losing the longtime nurses whose experience benefits patient care.

“I’ve heard so many tough stories in the past year, nurses getting tears in their eyes because we could not retain staff and take care of our patients properly,” says van Stijgeren. “This is going to improve morale and keep RNs from leaving. That’s good for patients.”

“County nurses care for the sickest and most vulnerable patients in our communities,” agrees San Mateo County charge nurse Michelle Merola, RN. “Retaining experienced nurses is critical for public health in San Mateo County.”

Contract highlights

Economic gains to promote retention: Again, if ratified, this contract will better secure experienced nurses for San Mateo County, with wage increases of 16.5% for RNs and 18.5% for Nurse Practitioners, over three years, plus a 1% bonus in the 3rd year. There is also a new longevity step at 25 years of 2%.
 
An expanded Professional Performance Committee (PCC) to address patient care issues: The PCC is a committee of nurses that meets with management to advocate for patients, on issues such as safe staffing. The tentative contract allows for the inclusion of RNs from units that had not previously been part of the PCC.

Workplace violence preventions: CNA RNs will now have a seat at the Hospital and County Violence Prevention Committees (which formerly only contained management). “As Public Health Nurses, we work with underserved populations, out in the community, where we are putting our lives in danger every day. I’m very happy that there is some discussion about violence in the workplace,” says San Mateo County nurse Patricia Gallegos, PHN.

Protection for volunteer time with Registered Nurse Response Network (RNRN): RNRN deploys and provides support for volunteer nurses when disaster strikes—from Hurricane Katrina to the 2013 Super Typhoon Haiyen/Yolanda in the Philippines. The tentative agreement would allow San Mateo County RNs to take unpaid time off to volunteer, with no adverse effects on their positions upon their return—to the benefit of patients worldwide.

Other improvements: Further contributing to RN retention are some improvements to bilingual pay and pay for RNs who train new hires, as well as a heartier severance package. There are also more supports for continuing education, which Gallegos says makes her “especially happy.”

Nurses say the unity of RNs behind their negotiating team was key in negotiating a contract that best supports their ability to care for patients.

“It was a long process, but our nurse negotiators displayed commitment and endurance,” says van Stijgeren. “As RNs, we love the patients, we respect each other, and now we can deliver the best possible care to the community.”