Kaiser Permanente and more than 21,000 nurses across Northern California represented by the California Nurses Association approved a new contract on Monday, averting an impending strike.
Oakland, California-based Kaiser Permanente and the union reached a preliminary agreement on November 17 after more than five months of negotiations. Terms of the four-year contract include an annual salary increase, the addition of 2,000 new registered nurse and nurse jobs, increased tuition reimbursement, and the creation of a committee to tackle racism. systematic and required Kaiser to carry a three-month stockpile. of personal protective equipment.
“With this new contract, we will be able to recruit new nurses, retain experienced RNs, and most importantly, provide our patients with improved care,” said Cathy Kennedy, registered nurse at Kaiser Permanente Roseville Medical Center and president of the California Nurses Association, said in a press release.
Kaiser Permanente was not immediately available for comment.
More than 1,000 registered nurses at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center approved a new contract on Nov.
In October, more than 2,000 therapists, drug addiction counselors and social workers in Northern California signed a new contract, after addressing issues including nurses claiming staff numbers were not working. enough and long waiting times will be dangerous for the patient.
About 50 mental health workers at Kaiser Permanente locations in Hawaii with similar protests have been on strike since July. A union spokesman said there were talks on Thursday and Friday, but no agreement was reached.
