Kaiser Permanente nurses avoid work strike, reach tentative agreement
More than 1,000 registered nurses who work at the Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center will not be going on strike after reaching a tentative agreement on Thursday.
"Kaiser Permanente is pleased to have reached a tentative agreement with the California Nurses Association (CNA), which represents the hard-working and dedicated nurses at our Los Angeles Medical Center," said spokesperson Terry Kanakri.
The California Nurses Association/National Nurses United (CNA/NNU), a union that represents more than 1,000 RNs at Kaiser LAMC, announced that it had reached a tentative agreement with Kaiser Permanente.
Nurses were scheduled to go on strike Nov. 21 and 22 and they will vote to ratify the new contract on Tuesday.
"With this new agreement, we can recruit and retain nurses and give our patients the care they deserve," said Tinny Abogado, RN in the step-down unit at Kaiser Permanente LAMC. "We also won health and safety protections for nurses and patients, which is especially important because the pandemic is not over. This contract also includes provisions that address workplace violence prevention, which is a deep concern for nurses."
Among the compensation packages agreed to in the new tentative agreement include economic gains and health benefit provisions to help retain and recruit experienced nurses, including no takeaways for pensions or retiree health and the highest level of personal protective equipment.
"This contract reflects our deep appreciation for the extraordinary commitment of our nurses throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as today's patient care challenges such as the flu and RSV," said Kanakri.
The hospital and nurses had been in negotiations for a new contract for more than 18 months.
"As soon as it is ratified by the CNA membership, we look forward to working together with CNA to implement this contract and further our mission of providing high-quality, affordable care to our patients," said Kanakri.
The Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center is located on the 4867 block of West Sunset Boulevard.