Members of the National Union of Healthcare Workers have approved a new contract with Fountain Valley (Calif.) Regional Hospital and Medical Center, averting a potential strike.
The union represents about 850 registered nurses, medical social workers, speech therapists, physical therapists and pharmacists at the 400-bed hospital, according to an NUHW news release shared with Becker's. Fountain Valley is part of Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare.
Union members approved the new contract Dec. 1 after authorizing a strike in October. Under the agreement, union members will receive fair and competitive rate increases, according to Tenet. The contract also confirms the hospital's commitment to comply with state-regulated nurse staffing ratios.
"This contract is an important first step toward addressing the under-resourcing of our hospital that has forced far too many of our colleagues to leave and jeopardized the care our patients receive," Dianne Adams, a nurse in the recovery room, said in the NUHW news release. "We're excited to work with our colleagues to keep the pressure on Tenet to make Fountain Valley a better hospital for patients and caregivers."
In a statement shared with Becker's, Jennifer Bayer, group communications manager with Tenet in Los Angeles and Orange counties, said the agreement "provides a long-term competitive compensation and benefits package for our dedicated nurses and other professionals. We appreciate the commitment of all our caregivers to provide quality, compassionate care to our patients."
Note: This article was updated on Dec. 6.