The following is a roundup of recent events pertaining to hospital-union relationships, including strikes, legal battles, rallies and new contract agreements. All events were reported after Oct. 21.
1. Sharp HealthCare nurses plan 3-day strike after Thanksgiving
Nurses at San Diego-based Sharp HealthCare have notified the hospital of their plans to strike Nov. 28, according to a CW6 report. The announcement comes one week after nurses voted to reject the health system's latest contract offer and authorize a potential strike.
2. 175 layoffs fuel second union rally at UCI Medical Center
Union members rallied to protest job cuts at UC Irvine Medical Center in Orange, Calif., reports Orange County Register. The rally marked the second organized by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Local 3299, since October, according to the article. Last month, UCI announced the layoff of 175 employees to reduce costs.
3. Suburban Community Hospital nurses rally against Prime's business practices
Dozens of nurses at Suburban Community Hospital in East Norriton, Pa., rallied to protest alleged unfair business practices and breaches of contract by the hospital's owner, Ontario, Calif.-based Prime Healthcare, reports The Times Herald. The nurses are represented by the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals.
4. Laid-off UCSF workers rally against outsourcing
Laid-off IT workers at the University of California's San Francisco campus rallied against offshore labor, according to a Computerworld report. UCSF plans to replace a number of IT department workers, including permanent staff and contract employees, with outsourced workers.
5. Thousands of nurses to protest in Philadelphia today
Thousands of nurses in the midst of contract negotiations with multiple hospitals in the Philadelphia area were slated to demonstrate Nov. 15, according to a report on philly.com. The nurses are represented by the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals.
6. 2 Catholic Health System hospitals reach labor agreements with nurses
Registered nurses at St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center in Smithtown, N.Y., and St. Charles Hospital in Port Jefferson, N.Y., both part of the Catholic Health System on Long Island, approved new labor contracts, according to the New York State Nurses Association. Issues addressed in the contracts include staffing levels, health benefits and wages.
7. Union nurses ratify 4-year labor contract with Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital
Contract talks between Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital in Darby, Pa., and its registered nurses came to an amicable end after six weeks of negotiations with nurses ratifying a new four-year contract, according to a Philadelphia Business Journal report. The contract covers 300 RNs represented by the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses & Allied Professionals.
8. Tacoma General nurses say no to extra shifts in weeklong boycott
Nurses at MultiCare Health System's Tacoma (Wash.) General Hospital were slated to take a stand against hospital work practices by boycotting voluntary overtime and extra shifts from Nov. 10 to Nov. 17, reports The News Tribune. The nurses are represented by the Washington State Nurses Association.
9. Latest contract offer from Canton-Potsdam Hospital prompts worker protest
Canton-Potsdam (N.Y.) Hospital employees protested a decrease in benefits proposed by hospital managers in their latest contract, according to a Watertown Daily Times report. The employees, which include nurses and technical workers, are represented by 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East.
10. Federal judge sides with nurses in Cayuga Medical Center labor dispute: 7 takeaways
A federal court ruled that managers and administrators of Cayuga Medical Center in Ithaca, N.Y., committed unfair labor practices during a union organizing campaign by nursing staff. The ruling stems from allegations by CMC nurses that the hospital had placed unlawful pressure on the nurses during their unionization efforts, Ithaca Times reports.
11. Temple workers ratify 3-year labor agreement
About 2,000 nurses and healthcare professionals represented by the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals reached a tentative agreement with Temple University Health System in Philadelphia, according to a Philadelphia Business Journal report. The new three-year contract, reached Oct. 19, includes wage increases and improvements on staffing and job security, union officials said. PASNAP members overwhelmingly voted to ratify the new agreement Oct. 25.
12. University Hospital workers approve new contract, nurses no longer required to treat Ebola
Nurses and other healthcare workers at University Hospital in Newark, N.J., ratified a three-year contract that includes pay increases and new safeguards related to Ebola treatment, according to a report on NJ.com. The contract covers approximately 1,300 nurses and other healthcare workers represented by the Health Professionals and Allied Employees union.
13. San Leandro Hospital nurses OK labor deal
Registered nurses at San Leandro (Calif.) Hospital ratified a new contract with the hospital, according to the California Nurses Association. The new contract covers 200 RNs at San Leandro, which is part of Oakland, Calif.-based Alameda Health System.
14. St. Mary's Hospital for Children reaches labor deal with workers
The union representing registered nurses, clerical workers and therapists at Bayside, N.Y.-based St. Mary's Hospital for Children reached a contract agreement with the hospital, according to a report on QNS.com. The agreement between the hospital and 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East will affect 378 workers.