Nurses, City of San Francisco reach tentative agreement to avoid strike

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — Days after San Francisco nurses overwhelmingly voted in favor of a strike, they were able to reach a tentative agreement with the City of San Francisco that would prevent any strike from taking place, the Service Employees International Union said Monday.

The union says the agreement will improve issues such as safe staffing, retention and recruitment, and reductions in contracting out. It will also bridge the wage gap between nurses in the public health department and private institutions.

Rents in this East Bay city are dropping, according to data

Another benefit of the deal is helping per-diem nurses with the San Francisco Department of Public Health land full-time jobs. Forty-seven new registered nurse positions will be added as part of the deal.

“We have been desperate for resources to improve patient care and nurses’ working conditions for years – long before we went to the bargaining table in February,” said SEIU 1021 San Francisco Community Registered Nurses Chapter President Jennifer Esteen. “While it’s unfortunate that it took a landslide strike vote to get SFDPH management to take our issues seriously, we are pleased that we were finally able to reach an agreement that will make major strides in addressing our priorities of safe staffing, competitive wages for retention and recruitment, and reducing wasteful contracting out.”

The nurses’ current contract is set to expire on June 30. More than 99% of nurses voted in favor of a potential strike if a new deal could not be reached.

The current agreement still has to be ratified by a majority of the union. The union said last week that a strike would be a “last resort.”

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