Kaiser to Give Nurses 14% Raise Over 11 Months

Kaiser announced plans to raise the salaries of registered nurses by 14% over the next 11 months, more than four times the increase required by the nurses’ current contract.

The raises, which affect about 9,600 nurses, come in response to the intense competition among Northern California hospitals to recruit nurses, said Kaiser spokesman Tom Debley.

Kaiser was at a disadvantage in recruiting and retaining nurses compared with other organizations, Debley said. Recent contracts negotiated at other hospital networks, such as Catholic Healthcare West and Sutter Health, had put Kaiser wages substantially below average.