On Wednesday, we met with management and the federal mediator again at the bargaining table. This time, we saw significant movement in the right direction from management on Nurses’ pay. A major sticking point has been management’s opposition to a wage scale that increases yearly and that recognizes Nurses’ experience. Last night, management’s counter-proposal included a wage scale with a tiny bit of movement each year — a substantial change, even if the dollars aren’t quite there yet.

This means that Nurses’ hard work, organizing and staying united is paying off, and we have significant movement toward what we think should be a mutual goal: ensuring that our hospital is safely staffed. Retention is key, and more than that, patient safety is key.

However, while this is a huge step in the right direction, our team believes that management’s latest counter-proposal does not go far enough to recognize Nurses for their service, their experience, and the value that they bring to the hospital. Therefore, we are continuing to push for improvement, and we expect to exchange more proposals in the coming weeks.

This movement comes after Nurses have been standing up and speaking out about unsafe staffing, even reporting staffing deficiencies to the California Department of Public Health. There have also been some indications that staffing may be improving in response to Nurses’ efforts. Nurses’ taking collective action underscores an important principle for us to keep in mind – even after we eventually have our Union contract.

Member Voices

What we saw in bargaining is that when Nurses stand up, we get change. Before we had our Union, we used to complain in break rooms. Now, we have a way to make real, lasting improvements at our hospital. I’ve noticed that Nurses are becoming more open, more communicative, and that walls are breaking down. Unity makes the difference. We’re all in this together!

Joann Calizo, RN, Emergency Department
Bargaining Team Member