Underpaid, overworked nurses demand change

By Rachel Makabi

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

The UCLA Medical Center ““ dubbed “the best in the
West” by U.S. News and World Report ““ may fall from its
lofty rank if the university doesn’t make changes to benefit
its underpaid and overworked nurses, members of the California
Nurses Association said.

After negotiating with officials since mid-February without
progress, according to registered nurse and nurse negotiator
representative Maxine Terk, more than 1,000 nurses will
simultaneously protest in front of the hospitals at UCLA and five
other UC campuses at noon today to raise awareness about
nurses’ frustration.

“If they don’t hear the nurses complaining, saying
they are not content, they will give us the bare minimum, just as
much as they think they can get away with,” Terk said.

Hospital officials declined from commenting on any matters
involving collective bargaining, but did issue a statement saying
that “UCLA is willing to continue its good faith bargaining
toward a settlement that will address the needs of its
nurses.”

Many nurses said their demands for higher salary increases,
lower patient-to-nurse ratios, and the end of mandatory overtime
and on-call have fallen on deaf ears.

Working with some of the sickest patients in the state in one of
the most expensive cities, UCLA nurses are particularly upset with
their low salaries compared to nurses in other hospitals, said UCSF
registered nurse and negotiator for the CNA, Stephanie
Isaacson.

After other hospitals gave their nurses 1-3 percent salary
increases, UCLA nurses are afraid they will receive a similarly
“insulting” offer, Terk said.

“With the critical shortage of nurses that there is,
particularly in California, I don’t think they are unaware of
this issue,” Terk said. “I don’t think that a 1
or 2 percent raise is going to keep the nurses happy and working at
UC facilities.”

But the lack of changes can adversely affect patient care,
specifically if hospital officials continue to require nurses to
work mandatory overtime, Isaacson said.

Because nurses can’t refuse to work overtime, they could
jeopardize patient care by working when they are too tired to
concentrate, said CNA spokesperson Felicia Mello.

Nurses claim that the high ratio of patients-to-nurses,
specifically in medical surgery floors, results in one nurse left
to care for several sick patients.

Since Gov. Gray Davis passed Assembly Bill 394 last year,
mandating lower patient-to-nurse ratios, several hospitals across
the state have implemented them, though the law won’t go into
effect until next year.

Many nurses see advertisements for these hospitals, like Kaiser
Permanente, and want to leave UCLA because of them, Trek said.