At a time of increasing employer demands for sweeping concessions on retirement security, especially for public workers, registered nurses working at University of California hospitals and student health centers today welcomed a tentative pact with University officials that secures nurses’ retirement as well as achieving important gains. In addition to rebuffing UC demands for substantial cuts in in pensions and retiree health coverage for RNs – especially a demand for a two-tier proposal with huge cuts in pensions for newly hired RNs – the nurses also won significant improvements, including across the board pay increases of 16 percent over four years, plus up to 8 percent more in longevity steps for most RNs.
