The California Nurses Association/National Nurses United and Kaiser Permanente have reached tentative agreement on a new three-year contract for 17,000 registered nurses and nurse practitioners covering 61 locations in northern and central California.
[See also: High demand, high salaries for nurse practitioners; Study finds nursing workforce is growing and diversifying]
CNA/NNU officials said the new contract includes more than 20 professional and economic enhancements and no reductions in patient care protections or economic or professional practice standards. While the union is withholding many of the details of the contract pending ratification meetings, the Sacramento Bee reported that it provides RNs and NPs with 5 percent annual pay hikes.
"This proposal protects our patients, defends our hard-fought economic and practice standards in a tough economic environment and demonstrates again the strength of our professional union, CNA/NNU, and the unity of Kaiser nurses," said Zenei Cortez, RN, who chairs the Kaiser CNA/NNU bargaining team and is a co-president of the CNA/NNU.
The proposed contract won approval with 99 percent of the union vote and comes well in advance of the expiration of the current contract. The new deal will take affect September 1 and will run through 2014.
"This settlement encourages nurse retention and recruitment for Kaiser, is a boon to patient care and sends a message to other employers about what is possible," said Rose Ann DMoro, executive director of the NNU, in a statement announcing the new deal.