Registered nurses at eight Tenet Healthcare hospitals in California have approved a master contract, according to the union that represents them.
The agreement covers 4,000 nurses represented by the California Nurses Association / National Nurses United. They work at the following hospitals:
- Hi-Desert Medical Center in Joshua Tree
- Los Alamitos (Calif.) Medical Center
- Doctors Medical Center of Modesto (Calif.)
- Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs
- Sierra Vista Regional Med Center in San Luis Obispo
- San Ramon (Calif.) Regional Medical Center
- Twin Cities Community Hospital in Templeton
- Emanuel Medical Center in Turlock
The agreement — which comes about two months after the nurses went on strike — includes average wage increases of 13.5 percent in the first year and a half of the contract, annual 3 percent wage scale increases, step increases for eligible RNs and increases in standby/on-call pay, according to the union.
The union said it also ensures its members receive at least an eight-hour rest period between shifts and adequate rest and meal breaks, and stipulates that "standby/on-call" scheduling not become a substitute for regular scheduling.
"This new agreement is a win for the nurses and our patients, for our families and for the communities we serve across the state," Ginny Gary, an RN in the ICU/CCU at Los Alamitos Medical Center, said in a news release.
Dallas-based Tenet, a for-profit hospital operator, told Becker's: "During the negotiation process, we were focused on reaching an agreement that was good for our nurses and our hospitals. We appreciate the dedication and professionalism all of our employees demonstrate every day in providing quality, compassionate care to our most important priority: our patients."
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