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Update: On Monday, May 2, the Committee for Recognition of Nursing Achievement, which represents nurses at Stanford and Lucile Packard Children’s hospitals, announced that its members voted to ratify a new agreement. Read our latest story.
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The union representing about 5,000 nurses at Stanford Health Care and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital have reached a tentative agreement for a new contract, a move that would end a strike that began on April 25.
The Committee for Recognition of Nursing Achievement, which represents the striking nurses, said the new contract, if approved by membership, would give members a 7% wage increase this year. The negotiations also resulted in a 5% increase effective at the start of next April, another increase effective in April 2024 and large increases to nurses’ retirement benefits.
The union’s membership still needs to vote through the weekend on whether to approve the tentative agreement, which was reached on Friday.
The hospitals also guaranteed an additional week of vacation for all nurses starting in 2024.
The striking nurses called on Stanford management to improve working conditions and address staff shortages.
The union said executives at the hospitals have failed to address low staff retention and high turnover rates and have attempted to withdraw health benefits for striking nurses.
Roughly 93% of nurses represented by CRONA voted to authorize the strike earlier this month after their labor contract with Stanford expired March 31. The strike is CRONA’s first in more than two decades, according to the union.
So, this wasn’t about money, yet everything mentioned was an increase in salary, large increases in retirement, vacation, etc. When you’re making 118% above the national average. Hmm.
They deserve more – and our everlasting thanks.
Another local paper sent a 5PM news alert with a more complete account of the proposed settlement including the paragraph “Stanford also guaranteed an additional week of pre-scheduled vacation for all nurses starting in 2024, as well as additional protections against workplace violence, including a new response team at the children’s hospital.” https://www.mercurynews.com/2022/04/30/stanford-packard-nurses-to-end-strike-with-tentative-contract-agreement/
I showed it to a Stanford nurse friend who laughed and said, “ Tone deaf! Not a word about understaffing and they thing we’re going to wait until 2024 for another week of vacation!”
I’m glad to hear the nurses will be returning to work. Had there been a disaster there would have been no one on hand to tell the doctors what to do.
The nurses are tone deaf. There are nurse and doctor shortages everywhere, and they already make up upwards of $350K a year at Stanford. Search the nursing job listings at Stanford. That’s more than some doctors!!! Who, by the way, don’t strike themselves because doing so is unethical by compromising patient care.
What about the working conditions and staffing cutbacks?
Unions are a menace. Won’t this raise medical costs for all? 17% raise over 3 years?
I’m confused. My understanding was that it was work conditions were the primary issue and it “wasn’t about money”, yet they are willing to settle without any changes in staffing. This article would be more helpful if more context was provided — what will be the average salary relative to the national average once the raise is in place? What is the current salary range and what is it based on? What are the current vacation benefits? Sick leave, health, and retirement benefits? What are the proposed changes in benefits? We need deeper investigative reporting.
@neighbor. It doesn’t matter if they are paid higher than the national average. This is Silicon Valley where the average house is 2.5M. Probably even more now. Do not compare nurses from other states where average house cost is $400k. They are fighting to be able to sustain living here while serving our community.
@ugh I don’t understand your sentiment towards nurses. I am happy they reached an agreement. Now they can go back to what they do best and that is giving our community world class care. Don’t compare nurses to doctors. They both have different roles in the hospitals and they work hand in hand. Nurses stay longer at our bedside though, if you have never been admitted to the hospital. They have been through A LOT for the past years while most of us stayed home. My poor neighbor/friend even had to sacrifice living in a hotel for several months because she didn’t want to risk infecting us her neighbors and families. They deserve everything they are getting and even more especially our gratitude and support. The quality of care you will be getting depends on their working conditions. They fought for that so thank them in case one day you will be needing their care.