Registered nurses at Kaiser Permanente's Los Angeles Medical Center voted Wednesday to approve a new collective bargaining agreement with hospital management.
The contract covers some 1,300 RNs and includes major economic improvements, protection of health coverage and their pensions, along with patient care contract protections, said the California Nurses Association/National Nurses United, which represents the workers.
Specifically, the contract establishes a professional practice committee of bedside RNs, elected by their peers, and includes wage gains of up to 34 percent over four years, among other provisions, the union said.
The contract was reached after more than a year of negotiations and RN activism that included two short-term strikes and other actions, according to the union.
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