Workers at Kindred Bay Area Hospital in San Leandro voted in October to ratify a contract that will boost salaries while lowering health insurance premiums.
The three-year agreement for more than 100 respiratory therapists, medical technicians, nursing assistants, phlebotomists and other caregivers comes on the heels of recent contract wins for Kindred workers in Southern California.
As part of the agreement, NUHW members will see pay raises from 3 percent to 15 percent in the first year of the contract, with the average worker getting an 8 percent increase. Workers will receive 3 percent raises in the following two years. The contract also includes:
- Lower health insurance premiums
- Higher Paid Time Off balances
- Better contract language on work hours, floating and discipline.
NUHW members said these improvements will help retain and attract workers to a facility plagued with turnover issues.
“This contract is an important step forward in helping us keep experienced, dedicated workers caring for patients at our hospital,” said Registered Nurse Kris Parra. “I’m proud of my colleagues for fighting hard for a contract that will make Kindred Bay Area a better place to give and receive care.”
Kindred facilities treat patients for longer stays typically after they are discharged from acute-care hospitals. The private company has historically paid lower wages than acute-care hospitals, but over the past year NUHW members at Kindred hospitals in Orange County and San Diego have won strong contracts with sizable wage increases.
The Kindred Bay Area contract is another victory for NUHW-represented workers at Kindred facilities, but the struggle is still far from over. A recently-organized unit of pharmacy and laboratory workers held a three-day strike in October demanding raises that are on par with their fellow NUHW-represented colleagues.
