Caregivers at three California Tenet Healthcare hospitals approve double-digit pay raises in new contracts
The caregivers had authorized a strike last month to improve staffing, pay, benefits and COVID-19-related health safeguards.
Photo: John Fedele/Getty Images
More than 830 healthcare workers at three Southern California hospitals owned by Tenet Healthcare have voted, by a large margin, to ratify contracts they say will boost pay, improve benefits and make the facilities safer for both themselves and for patients.
The settlement involves multiple three-year contracts. One contract covers more than 610 respiratory therapists, nursing assistants, medical technicians and other caregivers at Tenet's Fountain Valley Regional Hospital.
The other contracts cover about 225 housekeepers and dietary workers at Fountain Valley and two other Tenet hospitals – Los Alamitos Medical Center and Lakewood Medical Center – whose jobs Tenet has subcontracted to Compass Group.
The caregivers, represented by the National Union of Healthcare Workers, had authorized a strike for all three hospitals last month as part of a campaign to improve staffing, pay, benefits and COVID-19-related health safeguards.
WHAT'S THE IMPACT?
The contract – which encompasses more than 610 Fountain Valley workers – will boost salaries by an average of 15% in the first year, the caregivers said, with additional raises in the subsequent two years. It also includes additional pay for working late shifts, as well as a new health plan they say will lower premium costs by thousands of dollars per year.
The contract also enshrines pandemic safety protocols at Fountain Valley, which was cited last year by the California Department of Public Health for allegedly violating state safety guidelines after workers filed a complaint through their union.
The new contract includes provisions requiring that the hospital maintain a three-month supply of personal protective equipment and notify workers when a patient with whom they're in contact is suspected of having a highly infectious disease. The contract also requires the hospital pay for any missed shifts during a quarantine period for up to 14 days.
Meanwhile, the contracts for subcontracted housekeepers and food service workers at all three hospitals set a minimum hourly salary of $18.20, which is the same minimum salary for non-subcontracted workers at the three hospitals.
As a result, most of the subcontracted workers, who previously did not have a salary floor, will receive immediate raises ranging from 17 to 30%. The workers will also get additional 3% raises in the second and third years of the contract.
The contracts were ratified with 97% of workers voting in favor.
THE LARGER TREND
The for-profit hospital company includes United Surgical Partners International and operates 60 hospitals and more than 460 other healthcare facilities, including surgical hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, imaging centers, and other care sites and clinics. It also operates Conifer Health Solutions, which provides revenue cycle management and value-based care services.
On August 2, Tenet announced it had completed the sale of its five hospitals and related operations in Florida's Miami-Dade and Southern Broward counties to Steward Health Care for a reported $1.1 billion. The transaction includes Coral Gables Hospital, Florida Medical Center, Hialeah Hospital, North Shore Medical Center and Palmetto General Hospital, as well as associated physician practices and other entities.
Tenet's ambulatory facilities operated by United Surgical Partners International in these markets will remain with Tenet and were not included in the transaction.
Twitter: @JELagasse
Email the writer: jeff.lagasse@himssmedia.com
