Although an overwhelming majority of El Camino Hospital nurses recently voted to authorize a strike, they would prefer to instead continue contract negotiations with administrators, according to their union representative. Both parties have agreed to work with a neutral fact finder in early August to discuss the contract terms.
More than 90% of the nurses voted in mid-July to authorize a strike after they were not able to come to an agreement with the hospital on a new three-year contract. The previous three-year deal expired June 20.
Catherine Walke, president of Professional Resource for Nurses (PRN), said the organization notified the hospital early in the negotiating process that the nurses were unwilling to extend the contract that had been in effect the past three years. They seek higher wages, better retirement benefits and more money for longevity than the hospital has offered.
The past contract included a 3% annual wage increase to accommodate the rising cost of living. PRN wants the new contract to include a 3% increase during the first two years and a 4% increase the third year.
“The reason why we want 4% (is that) we have a limited reopener for healthcare in the last year,” Walke said. “If it becomes a high deductible, (the nurses should) be able to afford it. The 3-3-4 mirrors what our cost of living adjustment should be for the next three years.”
Walke added that El Camino wants to decrease the nurses’ differential and premium pay – the higher wages offered to nurses who work overtime or nightshifts. Walke said the union is firm on maintaining the current pay for differentials and premiums.
She said these demands are critical for the nurses to keep up with the cost of living in the Bay Area. Walke noted that nurses are never guaranteed their anticipated salary because administrators can cancel their shifts when the number of patients in the hospital is low – a practice El Camino uses to maximize profits, she added.
According to Walke, many nurses have two-hour commutes and some work at another hospital as well. A 1% wage increase may not seem like much, but in combination with maintaining current differential and premium pay, Walke said it can better support nurses who live or hope to live in this community.
In addition to wage increases for cost of living, Walke is advocating for wage adjustments for longevity and retirement.
“It’s almost that (El Camino) feels comfortable in not acknowledging and recognizing and valuing these professionals,” she said. “We’d like to enhance our pension by 1%.”
In the recently expired contract, nurses with at least 20 years of service could cash out 50% of their extended sick-leave bank. Walke is trying to negotiate that benefit for nurses who are leaving the organization and retiring.
She is adamant that El Camino can afford the nurses’ demands.
“There’s nothing in looking at their finances that warrants or justifies takeaways from the nurses,” she said. “This is a time that life should be enhanced enough that at least you’re getting cost of living.”
When contacted for comment, El Camino Hospital spokeswoman Jennifer Thrift sent a statement from Chief of Human Resources Kathryn Fisk that was previously posted on the hospital’s website. In it, Fisk said, “We remain hopeful that we can reach a mutually acceptable agreement with our valued nurses,” but that “We can only achieve an agreement if we continue discussions and both parties compromise.” Fisk pointed out that the hospital offered a contract extension with retroactive increases to PRN, but the union declined.
If PRN does go on strike, Fisk said, “we have contingency plans in place to ensure that the care at El Camino Hospital is uninterrupted and at the high caliber of care our patients expect and deserve. We hope this step is not necessary, but it is important that our patients and our community know we are prepared to deliver the highest quality of care for them.”
Walke said that to her knowledge, the nurses at El Camino have never walked off the job.
