Members of United Nurses of Children's Hospital, a union affiliated with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Local 1699, have approved a three-year contract with Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego.
The contract covers more than 1,600 nurses at Rady Children's and follows months of negotiations. It also comes as nurses were preparing for a five-day strike beginning Aug. 19, as reported by NBC outlet KNSD. Nurses went on strike for two days in July. However, the new deal averts a second strike.
"UNOCH understands that the last few months have been hard on all of us, we have had moments of disagreements and moments of intense unity," the union stated in a message on its website this week, following the Aug. 15 contract ratification.
"We look forward to settling back into our new normal that we hope includes the unity we felt. UNOCH will continue to work hard to meet the needs of the membership and get the contract implemented smoothly," the union added.
The hospital said in a statement shared with Becker's, "Rady Children's values every member of our workforce and will focus on moving forward as a united Team Rady. Together we remain steadfast in our commitment to our mission and serving the children in our community."
According to UNOCH, the new agreement includes terms of the Aug. 3 tentative agreement with an additional overall increase of $1.6 million in the form of a $1,000 bonus for each nurse in the bargaining unit. More information about the agreement is available here.