Good Samaritan Hospital and Regional Medical Center, both in San Jose, Calif., and owned by Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare, have reached a new midyear agreement with the union representing their registered nurses.
The agreement, which was accepted by the California Nurses Association July 30, includes wage increases, alternative work schedules and a plan to improve nurse staffing, according to hospital and union statements. It marks a midyear adjustment to the nurses' current contract that runs through June 2022.
"We are pleased to have secured commitments from HCA to work with nurses to address staffing issues and to aggressively recruit and retain nurses through wage increases and the creation of new critically-needed float pool positions," Kristine Weng, a neonatal intensive care unit nurse at Good Samaritan, said in a news release.
Under the agreement, HCA agreed to recruit 80 more nurses and create 43 nursing positions that can rotate between Good Samaritan and Regional Medical as needed. The union said the for-profit hospital operator also agreed to commit to resolving issues with adequate break relief for nurses and provide an immediate 10 percent wage increase.
Overall, HCA Healthcare Communications Manager Antonio Castelan called the agreement "a positive development for our colleagues, patients and fellow medical providers, as well as the communities we serve throughout San Jose and Central and Northern California."
The union represents about 860 nurses at Good Samaritan, and 650 at Regional Medical.