Thirteen moves from nurses unions across the country Becker's has covered since Nov. 3:
1. Negotiations are ongoing Jan. 6 as thousands of New York City nurses and five hospitals work to avert a planned strike.
2. About 60 nurse practitioners and physician assistants at Geisinger Community Medical Center in Scranton, Pa., voted to unionize on Dec. 15, the Times Leader reported.
3. Members of Service Employees International Union Healthcare Pennsylvania have approved a three-year agreement with UPMC Altoona (Pa.), part of Pittsburgh-based UPMC. The new contract means eligible nurses can potentially earn more than 30 percent in wage increases over the life of the contract through adjustments, annual increases and career ladder opportunities.
4. Members of the Michigan Nurses Association at Ascension Borgess Hospital in Kalamazoo approved a new three-year contract with hospital administration on Dec. 14. The contract includes average raises of 20.5 percent in the first year.
5. Members of the Windham Federation of Professional Nurses approved a new contract with their employer — Windham Hospital in Willimantic, Conn., and its partner medical facilities — that resolves a nearly year-long labor dispute. The contract addresses recruitment and retention concerns and includes significant economic investments in staff, according to the WFPN news release.
6. Members of the Minnesota Nurses Association reached tentative three-year contracts with hospital executives, averting a planned strike by 15,000 nurses in the Twin Cities and Twin Ports. The union said the tentative agreements include "historic" pay raises. The contracts were approved in December. Nurses in the Twin Cities will see raises of 18 percent over three years, while nurses in the Twin Ports will see raises of 17 percent during that period, with pay retroactive to expiration of the prior contract.
7. Nurses at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center, an RWJBarnabas Health-owned hospital in Livingston, N.J., have approved a new contract that includes wage increases. The one-year contract covers about 1,400 registered nurses at the hospital, according to a Dec. 2 news release from their union, New Jersey Nurses Union (NJNU-CWA 1091). Under the new agreement, union members will make at least $43 per hour.
8. Members of the California Nurses Association reached a tentative agreement with Kaiser Permanente on Nov. 17, averting a planned two-day strike by more than 21,000 registered nurses and nurse practitioners in Northern California. The four-year tentative deal boosts wages for Northern California nurses by 22.5 percent over the life of the contract. The contract was approved the first week of December.
9. Nurses with the Minnesota Nurses Association on Nov. 15 announced their opposition of a proposed merger between Sioux Falls, S.D.-based Sanford Health and Minneapolis-based Fairview Health.
10. Nurses at Ascension Via Christi St. Francis in Wichita, Kan., voted to join National Nurses Organizing Committee, an affiliate of National Nurses United, according to a Nov. 10 news release.
11. Members of the Temple University Hospital Nurses Association and Temple Allied Professionals reached new contracts with management, averting a strike, news station WHYY reported Nov. 7.
12. Members of the Minnesota Nurses Association held a rally in downtown Minneapolis Nov. 2 to raise awareness about what they say is hospital executives' refusal to address their concerns during contract bargaining.
13. The Oregon Nurses Association drafted a bill that would limit the number of patients a hospital nurse can be assigned — a measure hospitals oppose, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported Nov. 2.