After prolonged fight, nurses approve contract deal with Los Robles hospital
After more than seven months of negotiations, a five-day holiday strike and a vote rejecting an earlier deal, union nurses on Wednesday approved a three-year contract with Los Robles Regional Medical Center in Thousand Oaks.
The deal includes nearly 17% in raises over three years and stronger provisions aimed at boosting staffing levels that nurses allege jeopardize patient safety, said Mary Hodgkins, a member of the SEIU Local 121RN’s bargaining team and a longtime nurse at Los Robles. Several weeks earlier, the nurses rejected an agreement reached by bargaining teams, saying not enough was being done to protect staffing.
“We got a better contract,” Hodgkins said. “I think it was a really positive step forward not to pass the first contract.”
Los Robles spokesperson Megan Merino said hospital leaders are pleased at the union vote but also said the agreement was essentially the same as the deal rejected by the union in December. She did not address specific terms in the new contract.
Hodgkins said new provisions include stronger language that allows some nursing management to be pulled to bedsides when staffing levels are low. She also cited a strengthened clause that prohibits nurses being pulled out of units that are short of staff.
The deal also includes bonuses for nurses who agree to work extra shifts, Hodgkins said. It delays to Dec. 31 the ending of a benefit program that provides cash compensation to nurses who turn down insurance benefits, she added.
"That was a major deal," she said.
Much of the battle over the new contract, and the five-day strike launched the day before Thanksgiving, focused on staffing with nurses alleging the hospital regularly violates state-mandated ratios for nurses. On Thursday, Hodgkins called on state regulators to be more aggressive in enforcing ratios, asserting under-staffing can bring delays in medication and treatment.
“Every nurse has pretty much more than they can handle,” she said.
Los Robles officials have long defended their staffing levels and denied violations of mandated ratios. On Thursday, Merino referred to a hospital fact sheet updated in December that asserted the nursing workforce has been stabilized by hiring efforts, including nearly 200 nurses brought on board in 2022.
She also cited the Healthgrades rating system’s ranking that listed the hospital among the top 5% in the nation for patient safety.
“We are consistently recognized as the best of the best among hospitals across the country for patient safety from independent organizations,” Merino said.
Tom Kisken covers health care and other news for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at tom.kisken@vcstar.com or 805-437-0255.
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This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Thousand Oaks nurses end long contract fight with Los Robles hospital
