Labor Relations
What Our Patients Should Know
Quality Patient Care: Our Number One Priority
California Pacific Medical Center is renowned for its commitment to top quality, safe patient care. Our focus on delivering excellent care will continue despite the strike called by the California Nurse’s Association (CNA) leaders for March 21 - 31, 2008.
During the strike, California Pacific Medical Center anticipates many of our nurses will report to work as usual. For those who choose to honor the picket line, we have contracted with highly qualified replacement nurses to care for our patients based on our top standards.
Our fine physicians are here to care for you and your family, as always. CPMC doctors have urged nurses not to strike and have called the CNA’s proposed strike “patient abandonment."
Rest assured that patient care is our number one priority. Today and always.
California Nurses Association Strike
March 21 - 31
The California Nurses Association is once again ignoring calls to allow its members to vote on California Pacific Medical Center’s contract offer and instead has ordered its members to leave their patients and go on strike March 21 - 31, 2008.
California Pacific Medical Center (as well as the other Sutter Health affiliates affected by the strike) is bringing in skilled, qualified, replacement nurses to ensure a continuation of top quality care for all our patients. While some elective surgeries will have to be rescheduled, it will be business as usual for the rest of the medical center.
After months of negotiations, CPMC is disappointed the CNA has not yet given the its members the opportunity to vote on our proposal. When it became clear that CNA was deliberately delaying progress in CPMC’s negotiations, we felt compelled to implement our offer so that our nurses would not be denied their well-deserved pay increase. Therefore we already implemented the pay and retirement benefit increases, so that nurses are now seeing an extra 6% in their wage packets every pay day.
While CPMC is trying to meet the needs of nurses, the union is ignoring those needs and is instead continuing to push its own business agenda. CNA stands to gain over $4 million annually in new member dues if it organizes the non-union nurses across the Sutter Health system. The union is demanding that CPMC give up its legal right to free speech in an organizing campaign, so that it is easier for the union to win. CPMC maintains that elections require informed decisions and elections must be fair.
Highlights of CPMC’s Proposal
- A 21.5% pay increase over the next four years (25.5% at St. Luke’s), bringing the average annual salary of a CPMC nurse to $142,000
- Free health insurance benefits for R.N.s and their families
- Fully funded retirement plan, a nurse aged 40 with 5 years of service, would receive well over $5,000 per month (estimate does not factor pay increases) in retirement if s/he works to age 65
- Retiree Healthcare spending account of up to $25,000 to help pay for health premiums
- Up to $1,000 in tuition reimbursement to help pay for continuing education and books
- Up to 2% match on 403(b) on top of retirement program
- Landmark “no cancellation” staffing language that nurses
have asked for, significantly enhancing their hours worked.
CNA Fiction and the Facts
CPMC has made an exceptional offer to CNA and we are happy to provide those details to the public and our nurses as shown here. To date, the union has not made one economic offer, and has stalled for months at the bargaining table, making very small movement on issues. We know based on discussions at the bargaining table that the union is intent on gaining organizing language to advance its political agenda. Organizing the 3,038 non-union nurses within the Sutter system would result in additional $4 million in new dues. To learn more about CNA go to its website.
Safe patient care
CNA says...
They want all the Sutter hospitals to include the state mandated R.N. staffing ratios in their contracts to add the legal clout of their contract to enforce safe staffing at all times. Different Sutter hospitals have different language, and CNA claims California Pacific is refusing to guarantee adherence to the ratios at all.
The truth...
R.N.-to-patient ratios are mandated by state law. California Pacific meets state requirements and has already agreed to language in the contract that staffing will be in accordance with the law. The Medical Center is proud of its record of high quality, safe patient care. It was recently awarded designation as one of the top 33 hospitals in the nation for quality and patient safety by the Leapfrog Group. Additionally, both St. Luke’s and California Pacific were recently recommended for full accreditation by the Joint Commission surveyors.
CNA says...
The R.N.s want Sutter to guarantee it will maintain safe staffing, including full adherence to the ratios, when R.N.s are on meal or rest breaks.
The truth...
California Pacific complies with state laws for meal and rest periods and doesn't agree that mandating a designated break person on every shift is necessarily the correct way to meet the standards. Having a designated break person on every shift would further drive up the costs of delivering quality health care.
CNA says...
They proposed that each Sutter facility have a rapid response team support, including a critical care R.N. and respiratory therapist to intervene and stabilize patients which healthcare experts say has been valuable in saving lives of patients in emergencies. Further, CNA is calling for an admittance R.N. in emergency departments to speed up patient assessments and placements, which also promotes patient safety and recovery.
The truth...
CPMC has designated employees that respond to patient emergencies and does not agree to staff employees for the sole purpose of emergency response.
CNA says...
The R.N.s want all Sutter facilities to have a lift team on hand at all times to assist with handling of patients, which is important to prevent accidents and falls, and reduce caregiver back and other injuries. Many CNA contracts provide for lift teams.
The truth...
CPMC already provides lift teams.
CNA says...
They are strongly protesting Sutter plans to close San Leandro and Santa Rosa, and slash acute care services at St. Luke’s and CPMC in San Francisco.
The truth...
CNA is speculating on the future of St. Luke's - events that have not even happened or been announced. California Pacific believes that using rumor and hearsay as a basis to strike is irresponsible.
R.N. health care benefits
CNA says...
Sutter is proposing for various hospitals reduction in current benefits, including increased costs for R.N.s in premiums, deductibles, and co-payments, for office visits, emergency care, other medical procedures, and prescription drugs.
The truth...
There are no health care or retirement take-aways. California Pacific’s benefits package is more generous than CNA’s Kaiser contract. In fact, California Pacific is re-instating the employer “match” program for the California Campus R.N.s – even though it is something that the union bargained away during the last contract negotiation. The current offer provides an improved retirement plan formula for St. Luke’s.
CNA says...
At California Pacific, Sutter is demanding CNA agree to allow management to unilaterally reduce health benefits at any time. CPMC is also insisting on receiving a waiver of its obligation under city ordinance to assure its nurses access to sick leave.
The truth...
CPMC fully pays health insurance premiums for nurses and their families. This is a rarity nowadays, and only about 2% of employers nationwide provide such a rich benefit. There are circumstances when, in order to maintain this rich benefit in the face of escalating health insurance premiums, insurance companies increase deductibles. Most people would agree that in light of these insurance cost increases, it is much less painful to ask nurses to pay an extra $5.00 in office visits than a portion of their health insurance premiums.
CPMC already pays per-diem nurses a premium pay to cover their health benefits. It is common for unions to give a waiver to employers who already provide premium pay since it eliminates "double dipping."
Retirement security
CNA says...
CNA is proposing that Sutter increase the value of its retirement plan, by agreeing to eliminate a deduction for Social Security benefits, so that R.N.s can retire with dignity.
The truth...
California Pacific provides a fully funded retirement plan for its nurses. CPMC has offered a 2% match to nurses retirement contributions on top of the retirement program. Our retirement program for nurses meets or exceeds anything in the Bay Area.
CNA says...
They are seeking enhancements in retiree health to assure R.N.s have all their retiree health needs met.
The truth...
California Pacific provides a $25,000 health care retirement account to its nurses.
For Our Neighbors
For the Media
For urgent media issues at any time of the day or night, seven days a week, please call (415) 232-6463 to page a Communications staff member.
Kevin McCormack
Media Relations Manager
phone: (415) 600-2984
fax: (415) 600-2985
e-mail: McCormKD@sutterhealth.org
