Nurses at Valley Hospital Approve New Pay Scale

In an apparent victory for management, nurses at Encino-Tarzana Regional Medical Center voted Friday to accept a two-tier raise structure that will give the most senior caregivers a 6% wage increase and less experienced nurses a 4% increase over the next 21 months.

The deal ends a four-month dispute between the nurses and the hospital’s owner, Santa Barbara-based Tenet Healthcare Corp.

Initially, the nurses had rejected the two-tier system, saying it was designed to break the union. Although management made some concessions--including new contract language assuring more adequate staffing, stronger safety procedures and accident tracking systems, and better holiday pay--union leaders said they were disappointed that the nurses were unwilling to go beyond two one-day strikes held in October and November.

“Overall, the contract campaign resulted in improved contract language that we’ve never had before,” said Bob McCloskey, a senior field representative for the Service Employees International Union, Local 535. “But if people wanted to vote for an open-ended strike, management might have changed their position.”

Although the ballots were still being counted Friday night, McCloskey said he was certain that an overwhelming majority would approve the agreement. He predicted that about 30% of the 280 union members would back an open-ended strike instead.

If union members were ambivalent about the deal, hospital managers said they were glad to have the dispute resolved.

“We’re pleased to have this behind us,” said Dale Surowitz, chief executive officer of the hospital. “We felt all along that our offer was fair and reasonable . . . we are pleased that the union realized that.”

McCloskey said the nurses might have been bolder about an indefinite strike if hospital managers hadn’t threatened to permanently replace them. Surowitz said no such statements had ever been made by his administration. But during the pair of one-day strikes this fall, Tenet locked out the nurses and hired temporary replacements.

Still, McCloskey said the campaign resulted in several victories on smaller issues and has improved the union’s position in general--a position that is bound to become even stronger as Southern California’s nursing shortage continues.

“The market is going to help us in the future,” McCloskey said. “At least we’ve overcome our fear of striking an employer.”