9,000 University of California
Nurses to Strike July 21

9,000 University of California Nurses to Strike July 21 Expected to be Largest Walkout by RNs Ever in U.S. UC Stance Linked to Schwarzenegger Attacks on Nurses

In what is believed to be the largest single strike by registered nurses ever in the United States, some 9,000 University of California RNs have called a one day strike Thursday, July 21 at several of the state’s best known medical institutions, the California Nurses Association announced today.

In a series of large membership meetings held over the past two weeks, UC RNs, Nurse Practitioners, and Nurse Anesthetists voted by an overwhelming 95% to reject a contract proposal by University administrators and authorize the walkout.

The strike will affect large UC medical centers in Los Angeles, Santa Monica, San Diego, San Francisco, Davis, and Irvine, and student health centers in Riverside, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz and Berkeley. CNA said that the University has refused to bargain in good faith provoking the walkout.

At the center of the dispute, said CNA, is the University’s hard line stance on two issues linked to the high profile attack by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on nurses in recent months …quot; retirement security and safe staffing.

UC plans major cuts in nurses’ retirement
plan matching Schwarzenegger’s goals

Following the governor’s program which attacks those who perform public service, especially nurses, teachers and firefighters in favor of corporate privatization, the UC is attempting to undermine retirement security of its registered nurses. Not only is Schwarzenegger a Regent of the University, but a UC vice president is also a member of the commission that works with the governor’s staff on his pension plans.

UC officials have informed CNA that they intend to make substantial changes in the system’s pension program. In a presentation to top UC managers at a UC Leadership Institute in May, the system’s top pension and benefit policy director repeatedly cited the governor’s plan to privatize public employee pensions, and noted that “pension reform is still on the move.”

In that presentation, UC outlined plans to mandate employees divert 8% of their pay into the pension system. The UC has failed to make any contributions to the retirement program since 1990, which, says CNA, is the reason UC is looking for excuses to penalize employees now.

Nurses note that the University has long cited its retirement program as an excuse for offering substandard compensation, and warn that the sharp cuts envisioned by the UC could drive RNs to other hospitals depriving UC patients of many of its most experienced RNs.

“Historically, UCLA has justified their lack of pay competitiveness” as a trade-off for the UC pension plan, says Michael Kenny, an RN at the UCLA Medical Center’s Neuropsychiatric Institute. “UCLA is no longer an employer of choice for Los Angeles nurses. Nurses are "voting" with their feet by leaving. Other hospitals in the area now offer retirement plans that allow the nurse to retire with dignity.”

CNA is proposing language to guarantee there will be no changes in the nurses’ pension, retiree health, or other benefits for the life of the contract, as all other large health systems have done in contracts with CNA.

UC officials want to continue to be able to make cuts in retirement and benefits any time, and in addition to its pension changes has also indicated plans to reduce retiree health benefits and make employees pay far more for health benefits.

“Experienced nurses will leave the UC system if they cannot trust UC to provide working conditions, pensions, healthcare, and safe staffing for patients,” said UC Davis RN Suzanne DePalma. “Leaving inexperienced nurses and doctors in UC hospitals without the needed support of expert RNs, would be unsafe for the patients who are desperately ill, vulnerable, and trusting nurses and doctors to take good care of them.”

Schwarzenegger re-files attack on
RN ratios as UC refuses to bargain

Safe staffing is another key flashpoint. At the request of the California Hospital Association, the lobbying arm of the hospital industry of which the UC administration is a major part, Schwarzenegger issued an emergency order last year to roll back key portions of the safe RN-to-patient staffing ratio law. While a Sacramento Superior Court overturned the emergency order last month, the Schwarzenegger administration filed an identical emergency order last week as part of its plan to appeal the court decision.

CNA has introduced a comprehensive UC staffing proposal, emulating the specific minimum ratios required by the law, which would be enforced through the contract. UC management has refused to bargain on the issue.

UC facilities frequently fail to meet the staffing needed to handle the especially ill patients commonly found in UC hospitals, and the UC administration has conceded that its acuity systems, used for improving staffing beyond the ratios for the sickest patients, are in many areas based on budget priorities rather than patient need.

“Nurses are sending a strong message that UC should address the nursing shortage by including in the CNA contract nurse-to-patient safe staffing ratios, competitive wages, health insurance and pension protections because in health or sickness, patients deserve the best qualified experienced RNs around,” said UC Irvine RN Tam Nguyen, one of four UCI RN leaders who was suspended by the University in retaliation after the strike vote was announced, an illegal act, says CNA, that further inflamed tensions between the University and the nurses.

“Throughout bargaining and inside the UC hospitals and clinics, nurses are feeling unheard,” said UCSF nurse negotiator Maureen Dugan, RN. “Failure to listen to what nurses need to care for their patients and families will lead to a revolving door of inadequate care at world famous UC medical centers.”

The nurses and UC administration also remain divided on wages because UC compensation is far below salaries at other hospitals, on a CNA proposal to safeguard patients and RN practice when new technologies are introduced, and on a UC demand that would force nurses to work when sick, endangering patients, or lose vacation time.

“UCSD is a hospital which provides care to a large community which extends far beyond San Diego. They provide many treatments that cannot be found elsewhere. This requires very experienced RN staff. In order to retain experienced staff, UCSD needs to provide competitive wages,” said Janice Webb, a UC San Diego RN.

“UCLA is not able to retain nurses with more than a few years of experience. They hire new graduates who stay one or two years and get world-class training, then move on to hospitals that pay significantly more,” said Kenny. “It doesn't appear that UC is interested in retaining experienced nurses based on the minimal wage increase for older nurses at many UC campuses.

UCLA's efforts and money would be better spent offering a competitive wage and benefit package to retain experienced nurses.”

UC puts nurses at risk with stance on lift policies

One additional important issue is a CNA proposal that the UC establish a safe lift policy in all of its hospitals, another matter in which the University is closely aligned with Schwarzenegger.

Schwarzenegger last year vetoed a CNA-sponsored bill, after heavy lobbying by the UC, requiring all California hospitals to employ safe lift policies, such as providing lifting equipment and training to employees to avoid debilitating back and other musculoskeletal injuries. A similar CNA-backed bill, SB 363 authored by Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, was approved this week by the Assembly Labor Committee and passed the Senate in June. The University and Schwarzenegger continue to oppose it.

RNs, licensed vocational nurses and certified nursing assistants lead the nation in work-related back injuries, with 37.5% more such injuries than truck drivers, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Surveys show that 52% of RNs report chronic back pain and 12% who leave the profession say back injuries were the main or a significant reason.

“The UC system needs to learn from UCLA's Lift Team program. UCLA's nurses musculoskeletal injuries has decreased from 27 to 7 last year,” said Manny Punzalan, a UCLA RN. “This saved UCLA $600,000 and has improved the quality of patient care. This is one of UCLA's best investments with regards to patient safety. A guaranteed Lift Team in all UC medical centers will assure quality patient care and RN's safety.”

“UC's refusal to bargain about safe staffing ratios and acuity protections in the contract shows that they are only interested in their financial position. Patient safety should come first before any financial gains,” said Punzalan.

“The RNs at the student health centers at the UC campus's overwhelming support a strike against the University of California,” said Kris Woolard, RN at the UC Riverside Student Health Center. “The absence or reduction in the number of RNs will greatly impact the quality of care the students will receive as these highly skilled nurses provide a service to our students that cannot be replaced by any other health care provider.”

“It is time the University of California starts listening to the RNs they employ and fulfill their obligation to their students and campus community to provide emergency, urgent and primary care which cannot occur without highly skilled RNs,” Woolard said.

Contact Information:
California Nurses Association Charles Idelson
510-273-2246 or 415-559-8991 (cell)
www.calnurses.org