Dear Nurses of USC,

As you know, CNA has notified Keck Medical Center of USC of its plan to conduct its second strike at Keck Hospital of USC / USC Norris Cancer Hospital from 6:59 am on Feb. 19 through 6:59 am on Feb. 26.

We were willing to meet with the Union and offered bargaining dates, but we were also clear with the union that, if they issued a strike notice, our team would be unable to meet while we focused on contingency plans and patient care. As was true with the first strike, now that a strike notice has been issued, we have formally replied to the Union and informed them that our team is unable to meet until the strike is over.

A second strike would result in a negative outcome for all of us

While strikes can be an unfortunate part of the bargaining process, we continue to recognize and respect your right to do so. However, we do not believe a second strike will bring us any closer to reaching an agreement.

The Union is fully aware of the negative impact a second strike will have on future offers. This is simply a fact as we would once again be forced to divert funds towards supporting our contingency plans and patient care. We would rather these funds remain with our nurses, instead of knowingly being sacrificed by the Union as part of a strike.

In order for nurses to benefit from the no premium health plan option in 2026, the strike must be called off and an agreement must be ratified by March 27 at the absolute latest

We also want our nurses to be able to access and benefit from a no premium health plan option. As we relayed to the union, below are the logistical deadlines for the no premium health plan to be available to the nurses this year:

• If we have a ratified agreement by Feb. 23, the no premium health plan would be available beginning April 1.
• If we have a ratified agreement after Feb. 23 but by March 27, the no premium health plan would be available beginning May 1.
• However, should an agreement not be ratified by March 27, the no premium health plan would not be available.

Share your opinion with your Union – time is of the essence

We have shared with the Union the deadline for the Union to call off the strike to avoid negatively impacting the deal that has been offered to you. They must pull the strike notice before Friday, Feb. 13 at 8:00 P.M.

If you do not want to strike and prefer for everyone’s focus to remain at the table and reaching an agreement, please contact your union representative TK Audoma at (442)396-8563 or [email protected] to voice your opinion. We remain hopeful the strike can be avoided so we can focus our full efforts back to the table and on reaching a contract you can support.

Best regards,

The Keck Hospital and USC Norris Cancer Hospital Bargaining Team

Dear Nurses of USC,

We were disappointed to learn that the Tentative Agreement, which was agreed upon by both bargaining teams, did not receive a majority of votes from nurses. A ratified contract would have provided significant improvements, including competitive wages, additional Resource Nurse hours, and the restoration of the no premium health plan.

We remain committed to reaching an agreement that meets the needs of our nurses, the Medical Center and our patients. Our bargaining team will be reaching out to the union and federal mediator to discuss next steps, and we look forward to meeting again as soon as possible based on everyone’s availability. Although the federal mediator is not available during the current partial government shut down, we look forward to discussing next steps with him as soon as possible.

Importantly, just because the Tentative Agreement was not ratified, it does not require the union to call for a second strike. There is also no guarantee a second strike would result in additional improvements. In fact, the first strike negatively impacted our offer as we were required to divert funds towards supporting our patients through our contingency plans. We have informed the union that further strikes would have the same result.

Thank you for remaining focused on our patients throughout this process. We truly value you and deeply appreciate the incredible work you do each and every day.

If you have any questions, please submit them through our negotiation website.  

Respectfully,

The Keck Hospital and USC Norris Cancer Hospital Bargaining Team 

Dear Nurses,

Today, Keck Medical Center of USC (the “Medical Center”), the California Nurses Association (“CNA”), and a federal mediator met for collective bargaining negotiations. We are sharing this update to provide our Registered Nurses with visibility into the content and progress of these negotiations.

Today was our 25^th bargaining day, and our first day with the federal mediator. Both bargaining teams met with the mediator separately to understand our respective positions on the outstanding articles and to discuss our bargaining history. At the end of the day, the mediator asked both parties to gather additional information and identify potential proposals to resolve the four outstanding articles and two new appendices, which include:

• Article 8: Safe Staffing and Patient Advocacy
• Article 13: Compensation
• Article 15: Benefits
• Article 19: Leaves of Absence
• Appendices for RN Educators and Nurse Practitioners

We look forward to working with the mediator and the union to identify a path forward and reach an agreement. To that end, the parties agreed to meet for our next bargaining date in January.

If you have any questions, you can submit them through our negotiation website.

Best Regards,

The Keck Hospital and USC Norris Cancer Hospital Bargaining Team

Dear Nurses,

We’re pleased to share an update on our negotiations with the California Nurses Association (CNA). On December 1, we were able to confirm that our first meeting with the Federal Mediator is scheduled for December 15. This date reflects the earliest availability provided by both CNA and the mediator.

As we move into mediation, this first session will likely focus on bringing the mediator fully up to speed on the positions of both parties. This first step is essential to ensure productive conversations and meaningful progress throughout this process.

We look forward to working with the mediator and CNA towards an agreement as quickly as possible, and we will continue to keep you updated as we can throughout the mediation process. If you have any questions, please submit them through our negotiation website.

Thank you for your continued dedication to our patients and to one another.

Best Regards,

The Keck Hospital and USC Norris Cancer Hospital Bargaining Team

Dear Nurses,

We’re pleased to share the California Nurses Association (CNA) has agreed to the use of a Federal Mediator to assist in our negotiations. Our team is now working with CNA and the Federal Mediator to coordinate dates and bring all parties to the table as soon as possible.

We’ll continue to keep you updated as the process moves forward. In the meantime, please submit any questions through our negotiation website.

Best regards,

The Keck Hospital and USC Norris Cancer Hospital Bargaining Team

Dear Nurses,

As an update to our last communication, the California Nurses Association (CNA) has contacted our team to reengage in negotiations. As we shared previously, once the union provided the strike notice, our team was unable to meet until the strike was over while we focused on our contingency plans and patient care.

We have asked the Union to agree that future meetings include a Federal Mediator to help us reach an agreement.

Federal Mediation

To help ensure we make meaningful progress at the bargaining table, our team strongly believes we need a Federal Mediator to join our sessions. A Federal Mediator is a neutral third party whose role is to help negotiation teams address areas where they remain apart and find solutions.

CNA is currently utilizing a mediator at other bargaining tables with positive results for both sides.  We are open to CNA’s input in identifying a mediator acceptable to both parties.

Federal Mediators have continued their work across the healthcare industry despite the government shutdown, and we do not anticipate any delay in securing mediator quickly.

Next Steps

We have availability to meet with the union in the coming weeks and are waiting for the union’s response in anticipation of coordinating availability with a Federal Mediator. We look forward to resuming productive discussions toward an agreement which supports our nurses and the care they provide every day.

If you have any questions, please submit them through our negotiation website.

Best Regards,

The Keck Hospital and USC Norris Cancer Hospital Bargaining Team

Dear Nurses,

Now that the strike is over, we want to provide you with an update on where things stand with negotiations and next steps.

Why did we provide our Last, Best and Final offer?

At CNA’s request, we provided your union with our Last, Best and Final offer on October 20. This highly competitive offer would have provided nurses with significant and immediate improvements, including average wage increases of 19.6% by the end of the contract, additional Resource Nurse hours, and continued access to a No Premium Health Plan.

CNA was fully aware how a strike would negatively impact our offer

Given our current financial challenges (including more than 900 layoff notices across the university and health system since July), we shared with CNA multiple times how a strike would negatively impact our offer as we would be required to divert funds towards supporting our contingency plans. Unfortunately, the union decided to strike without giving you the opportunity to review the offer on the table. Further, the union decided to strike knowing that that decision would have a negative impact on the improvements we were hoping to provide to our nurses.

We remain committed to reaching an agreement

While our preference would have been to provide nurses with the full improvements contained in our Last, Best and Final offer, we remain committed to reaching an agreement and welcome the opportunity to meet with your CNA bargaining team.

Prior to the strike, we made multiple attempts to encourage the union to instead continue bargaining so nurses would be eligible for the no premium EPO Select health plan option once a contract was ratified. 

Despite our efforts, the union decided to strike. We have not heard from the union about bargaining since the strike concluded. We are hopeful to hear from CNA soon and will provide you with another update on negotiations after we hear from the union.

If you have any questions, please submit them through our negotiation website.

Best Regards,

The Keck Hospital and USC Norris Cancer Hospital Bargaining Team

Dear Nurses of USC,

Today, Keck Medical Center of USC (the “Medical Center”) and the California Nurses Association (“CNA”) met for our final day of negotiations.  After two dozen meetings over the last 6 months, the parties have reached tentative agreements on almost all items, including numerous improvements requested by the Union.

Given all the progress that has been made at the table, today we presented the union with our Last, Best and Final offer. Even with our current financial challenges, this offer contained only improvements from the Medical Center’s previous proposals.

Instead of allowing nurses the opportunity to review our offer, the union provided a 10-day strike notice. It is incredibly disappointing that the union has chosen to strike, given the highly competitive offer on the table with significant and immediate improvements it would provide. Specifically:

The Offer the Union Forfeited by Calling a Strike

Impact of a Strike on Nurses

Exercising the right to strike is fully within your legal rights, and we will always respect that. However, because CNA has provided us with a 10-day strike notice, we are diverting all resources to support our staff and patients due to the upcoming strike. We also shared with the union that we will not meet for any additional sessions until after the strike is over.

Also, it’s important to know that, given our financial constraints, the upcoming strike requires us to divert funds (that could have been used for negotiations) towards supporting our contingency plans to ensure high-quality, safe patient care remains uninterrupted.

As we’ve shared with the union, the following proposals will change now that the union provided us with a 10-day strike notice:

• Our Compensation proposal will decrease
• The No Premium Healthcare Option will not be available during open enrollment
• Our Resource Nurse proposal will decrease and revert back to our June 12 proposal

More details about what to expect are coming soon, including frequently asked questions. Thank you and, as always, please do not hesitate to contact your manager or a member of our HR team if you have additional questions.

Best Regards,

The Keck Hospital and USC Norris Cancer Hospital Bargaining Team

Dear Nurses of USC,

On Oct. 13, our team met with the California Nurses Association (CNA) for our 23rd day of negotiations. Both parties spent the day talking through the few remaining issues and their various perspectives.  Although the parties were not able to reach alignment on these issues, our team presented a number of ideas and concepts we believed could potentially bridge the gap. 

At the end of the day, the parties agreed that the Medical Center would continue to explore options with the goal of being able to present an enhancement to our last economic proposal at our next meeting which could be ratified.

Our next bargaining date is Monday, Oct. 20.

If you have any questions, please submit them through our negotiation website.

Best Regards,

The Keck Hospital and USC Norris Cancer Hospital Bargaining Team

Dear Nurses of USC,

On Oct. 2, our team met with the California Nurses Association (CNA) for our 21st day of negotiations. Both parties reiterated our shared commitment to reach an agreement as soon as possible. To that end, our team presented a supposal in an effort to address the Union’s priorities.

The parties also engaged in a productive discussion on Time Off, Holidays, and other outstanding topics of negotiation. We appreciate the Union’s engagement with us, and we look forward to continuing our forward momentum at our next session on Friday, October 3.

If you have any questions, please submit them through our negotiation website.

Best Regards,

The Keck Hospital and USC Norris Cancer Hospital Bargaining Team

Dear Nurses of USC,

On Sept. 26, our team met with the California Nurses Association (CNA) for our 20th day of negotiations. The parties’ negotiators met in the morning, and both agreed that we would like to reach an agreement as soon as possible.

To that end, in the afternoon, the Union presented a supposal to address all outstanding articles. A supposal is not a proposal; it is a mechanism to identify each parties’ priorities.

Throughout the day, our team spent significant time reviewing this supposal and considering all potential paths to reaching an agreement. We appreciate the Union’s ideas and their offer to make significant movement in many areas.

The parties continued the dialogue late into the evening, culminating in a Tentative Agreement on:

• Article 4 – Seniority

The parties exchanged frank discussion and ideas on how to reach agreement on the remaining items and agreed to continue the forward movement during two new bargaining dates next week (Thursday, October 2 and Friday, October 3).

If you have any questions, please submit them through our negotiation website.

Best Regards,

The Keck Hospital and USC Norris Cancer Hospital Bargaining Team

Dear Nurses of USC,

Yesterday, our team met with the California Nurses Association (“CNA”) for our 19th day of negotiations. In an effort to bring negotiations to a close, our team looked at all areas in which we could move to get the parties to a deal. As a result, we presented CNA comprehensive counter proposals with substantial movement in both non-economic and economic articles.

Highlights of Our Offer

• The Medical Center’s best economic position available
  • Average annual wage increases of $4,985 in the first year
  • Average wage increases of 15.13%, totaling an average of $21,768 over the life of the contract
• Retro pay for six pay periods.
  • Example: if the contract is ratified on or before October 4, 2025, retro pay would go back to the first pay period in July 2025
• Additional language that addresses resource nurse coverage
• Withdrawing our proposal of ICU nurses floating to telemetry
• Accepting CNA’s proposed language regarding a declared state of emergency
  
  

Town Hall: Thursday, the September 25 from 11am-12pm

We have been committed to reaching an agreement that further supports our nurses with competitive compensation and additional enhancements. With the improvements to our offer, we believe now is the time for the parties to reach a full tentative agreement and for a new contract to be ratified so nurses can receive these improvements, including wage increases and retro pay.

Additional information will be provided next week, and we invite nurses to attend our September 25 Town Hall from 11am-12pm.

2026 Health Plan Discussion

During the day, three nurses joined negotiations and provided statements regarding the upcoming changes to the University health plans. While the parties discussed that the Medical Center would not be making or accepting any proposals to change those plans, we appreciated hearing from these nurses and addressed their concerns. Specifically, we:

• Confirmed there would still be a no-premium option that provides world-class care
• Explained how premium increases for the plans were below average in many instances, with many nurses actually having a decrease in premium payments
• Responded to concerns regarding access to quality care by detailing a growing network of providers, including primary and specialty care, urgent care, maternity and pediatric care
• Discussed how the USC Premier Care concierge services would be added value for nurses to ensure access and navigation to the care they need
  
  

These plans are improvements over existing plans available to nurses, as detailed in Thursday’s communication. We also stated more information is forthcoming and that resources will be made available to assist with any questions and transition as we get closer to open enrollment.

Our next bargaining day is scheduled for September 26. If you have any questions, you can submit them through our negotiation website. For transparency, we have also published copies of our current proposals and our current wage proposal to date.

Best Regards,

The Keck Hospital and USC Norris Cancer Hospital Bargaining Team

Dear Nurses of USC,

Today, Keck Medical Center of USC and the California Nurses Association (“CNA”) met for our eighteenth day of negotiations. We are sharing this update to provide our Registered Nurses with visibility into the content and progress of these negotiations.

During our discussions today, the Medical Center acknowledged the union’s concerns with the new health plans, but made clear that those are the only plans available from the University in 2026, and that the Medical Center would not be making or accepting any proposals to change those plans. These plans improve the options available to Registered Nurses. Importantly, we shared, for those currently on the EPO and PPO will not only receive expanded access to providers but also lower out of pocket expenses and, in many cases lower premiums.

The parties exchanged proposals for the outstanding articles and appendices. The Medical Center once again presented an enhanced wage proposal with increases to every step of the wage grid for every year of the contract, and guaranteed increases for every Registered Nurse. Immediately at ratification, our proposal provides an average wage increase of $4,772.

Click here to see the examples we provided the Union, demonstrating how our wage increases, as proposed, would increase the income of a randomly selected sample of nurses.  

The Medical Center also:

• Improved our resource nurse proposal to include an escalation process when a lead believes additional resources are needed.
• Improved our floating proposal to ensure that ICU nurses would never receive an assignment with no more than three patients.
• Withdrew our Time Off proposal and agreed to the union’s request to restore the current Paid Time Off plan.

Our next bargaining day is scheduled for Friday, September 19.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact any of the Medical Center supervisors.

Best Regards,

The Keck Hospital and USC Norris Cancer Hospital Bargaining Team

Dear Nurses of USC,

Today, Keck Medical Center of USC and the California Nurses Association (“CNA”) met for our seventeenth day of negotiations. We are sharing this update to provide our Registered Nurses with visibility into the content and progress of these negotiations.

The parties exchanged proposals for the outstanding articles and appendices. We reached a tentative agreement on Article 11: Hours of Work, Overtime, and Scheduling.

In an effort to reach an agreement, the Medical Center offered to accept the Union’s language for two articles, Leaves of Absence and Work Stoppage, in exchange for the Union’s acceptance of Article 14: Time Off. Importantly, each of these articles contain only enhancements for Registered Nurses.

The Medical Center also enhanced its wage proposal to guarantee that all Registered Nurses receive a minimum base increase, including Registered Nurses who are already paid above their respective step on the wage grid. Our proposal is a direct response to the Union’s concerns that some Registered Nurses would only receive a base enhancement bonus in the first year.

Our next bargaining day is scheduled for tomorrow, September 16.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact any of the Medical Center supervisors.

Best Regards,

The Keck Hospital and USC Norris Cancer Hospital Bargaining Team

Dear Nurses of USC,

Today, Keck Medical Center of USC and the California Nurses Association (“CNA”) met for our sixteenth day of negotiations. We are sharing this update to provide our Registered Nurses with visibility into the content and progress of these negotiations.

The Union presented one modification to its proposals, returning to current language on severance pay. With only one proposal to respond to, the Medical Center once again urged the Union to reconsider the use of a Federal Mediator. With a Federal Mediator, Nurses and leaders can continue to meet while receiving the assistance of a neutral expert. The Union once again refused.

To advance negotiations, the Medical Center presented a package proposal with several improvements – and no takeaways – for Nurses. If accepted, our proposal would result in five tentative agreements, which:

• Increases Nurses’ rest between shifts to 10 hours and ensures Nurses will not be called back to work with less than four hours left in their call shift.
• Accepts the Union’s request to remove the table for night shift callback times.
• Gives priority to PACU core Nurses priority for available On-Call shifts.
• Reduces the amount of required weekend shifts for Part-Time Nurses.
• Guarantees Nurses will continue to receive a Paid Personal Holiday consistent with Medical Center policies.
• Guarantees Nurses can continue to picket pursuant to Article 24.

We are here to reach a deal that Nurses are proud of, and to working with each of you throughout the life of this contract and well after negotiations conclude. The Medical Center asked to continue negotiating over the outstanding articles, and emphasized that we have not reached our last, best, and final offer.

Unfortunately, the Union ended the day shortly after 6 p.m. without responding to our package proposal or any other outstanding articles. The Medical Center’s bargaining team continued working and offered to meet for four additional days in the next two weeks (two of which are new dates that our team has made available in an effort to reach a deal). We hope the Union will accept any or all these dates.

Nurses have asked to view the Medical Center’s proposals. For transparency, and although these are not our final offers, we have also published copies of our current proposals, our current wage proposal, and all tentative agreements to date.

If you have any questions, you can submit them through our negotiation website.

Respectfully,

The Keck Hospital and USC Norris Cancer Hospital Bargaining Team

Dear Nurses of USC,

Today, Keck Medical Center of USC and the California Nurses Association (“CNA”) met for our fifteenth day of negotiations. We are sharing this update to provide our Registered Nurses with visibility into the content and progress of these negotiations.

The Medical Center presented a counterproposal at 9 a.m. Our proposal raises the minimum rest to ten hours between shifts for Procedural On-Call Assignments. In addition to the holidays provided for in the agreement, we offered to guarantee that Nurses will continue to receive a Paid Personal Holiday consistent with Medical Center policies.

The Medical Center once again increased wages for all steps of the wage grid. While many personnel across the system experience little or no wage increases, our proposal would result in Nurses receiving increases averaging $3,500 to $5,900 each year, totaling over $20,000 average increases over the term of the contract.

Throughout negotiations, the Union proposed increases to several areas outside of wages, and we agreed to increases in many of those areas. Our bargaining team is tasked with allocating financial resources to each economic element of the contract. Our proposal prioritizes increases to Nurse’s base wages and dedicates those dollars to the wage grid.

Ahead of tomorrow’s meeting between the Union and University benefits representatives, we previewed some of the enhancements being offered in the 2026 employee health plans, which include:

• Most Nurses are enrolled in the current PPO and standard EPO, both of which improve in 2026.
• Co-pays and other out of pocket expenses decrease for the PPO and standard EPO when using a tier 1 provider
• The EPO will now provide nation-wide coverage.
• Monthly PPO and standard EPO premiums will increase 5% on average. These increases are below market norms.
• The standard EPO Employee-Only premium will decrease for all salary levels.
• Taken together, Nurses have the potential for a net decrease in their plan costs.
• As a replacement to the no-premium HMO, the Medical Center continues to propose a new, no-premium EPO Select option for Nurses, which will include a broad network of providers, including Keck Medicine of USC.

At the end of the day, the Medical Center continued to bridge gaps with the Union’s proposal by extending the contractual guarantee for additional pay for Nurses who opt-out of medical benefits plans. We encouraged the Union to respond to the several outstanding articles and identified several areas which we believe should result in tentative agreements.

Our next bargaining day is scheduled for this Friday, September 5. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact any of our Medical Center supervisors. You can also submit one through our negotiation website.

Respectfully,

The Keck Hospital and USC Norris Cancer Hospital Bargaining Team

Dear Nurses of USC,

Today, Keck Medical Center of USC and the California Nurses Association (“CNA”) met for our fourteenth day of negotiations. We are sharing this update to provide our Registered Nurses with visibility into the content and progress of these negotiations.

The Medical Center presented an economic counterproposal, increasing wages for all steps of the wage grid. Our proposal also increases the base enhancement bonus each contract year for Nurses who already earn above their colleagues with the same experience.

Our proposal also provides the Union with more control over the Clinical Ladder review board to ensure that changes cannot be made to the Clinical Ladder Program without approval from nurses.

We recognize that many nurses have questions about the recently announced annual changes to the health benefits offerings that we all select from. During bargaining, we committed to connect the bargaining team with University benefits representatives who can answer their questions about these plans. The Medical Center offered, and the parties agreed, to meet this Thursday. In addition, we encourage bargaining unit nurses to review the University’s Update on changes to Employee Health Plans in 2026 and FAQ for Health Plan Changes In 2026 for answers to frequently asked questions.

The parties reached a Tentative Agreement on Article A – Title 22. We are negotiating over 16 remaining articles and appendices. The parties remain far apart on many economic terms, but are close in concept on several outstanding articles. We hope to close the gap in many of these areas this week.

Negotiations require both parties to work constructively towards trying to find acceptable compromises, and we look forward to our next session on September 3.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact any of our Medical Center supervisors. You can also submit one through our negotiation website.

Respectfully,

The Keck Hospital and USC Norris Cancer Hospital Bargaining Team

Dear Nurses of USC,

On August 19 we resumed negotiations with CNA and discussed outstanding issues and shared our mutual desire to move negotiations forward and reach an agreement quickly. 

Our team made significant movement to help build positive momentum

In that spirit, our team made major movement on several articles to continue closing gaps. Specifically:

• Floating – We withdrew our proposal for required floating between hospitals.
• Picketing – We withdrew our proposal to limit picketing.
• Paid Time Off – We modified our proposals to keep PTO unchanged for all current RNs.

We were disappointed CNA did not make movement on its wage proposal

Although CNA adjusted some proposals, the Union did not adjust its wage proposal, which includes increases averaging 40% over the life of the contract. Additionally, the Union’s proposal includes increased premiums, such as a 50% increase to the ECMO differential and a new differential for ICU nurses. These demands are unrealistic given our current economic realities.

Our current wage proposal would provide competitive increases and is not our last, best or final offer

Based on our current proposal, nurses would receive average wage increases of 13% over the life of the contract, with a four-year Registered Nurse receiving a 23.24% increase. We’re committed to supporting our nurses with competitive pay and look forward to continuing to bargain on this important topic.

Our team offered several dates to meet in September

Since we don’t have any further dates scheduled (the Union had already declined to meet next week), we offered several options in September and hope the Union will be available for as many as possible. We also reiterated our desire to involve a Federal Mediator to help the parties reach an agreement quicker.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact any of our Medical Center supervisors. You can also submit one through our negotiation website.

Respectfully,

The Keck Hospital and USC Norris Cancer Hospital Bargaining Team

Dear Nurses of USC,

Today, Keck Medical Center of USC and the California Nurses Association (“CNA”) met for our twelfth day of negotiations. We are sharing this update to provide our Registered Nurses with visibility into the content and progress of these negotiations.

At the start of our bargaining session, the Medical Center again recommended that the parties involve a Federal Mediator. The Union immediately rejected the opportunity and assistance to facilitate a faster agreement. As promised, the Medical Center presented counterproposals, accepting much of the Union’s new language in the appendices for Nurse Practitioners and RN Educators.

Our bargaining team also expressed concerns that the Union’s economic proposals were not taking the current economic realities into consideration. For example, the Union’s latest proposal for a four-year Registered Nurse results in a 49.80% increase over the life of the contract. In comparison, the Medical Center’s latest proposal offers that same Registered Nurse a 23.24% increase over the life of the contract:

Unfortunately, the Union’s chief negotiator walked out of the room while the nurses were asking questions. In a text message, the Union then cancelled bargaining for the remainder of the day. The Medical Center responded and emphasized the importance of continuing negotiations.

As a show of good faith, the Medical Center withdrew three of its proposals, accepting the Union’s language in Association Representation, Technology, and Entire Agreement. This resulted in three Tentative Agreements. The Medical Center again asked the Union to continue negotiations, but the Union refused and left early. All proposals are outstanding with the Union.

The parties’ only remaining bargaining day is scheduled for Tuesday, August 19. With only one bargaining day left, we are disappointed that the Union walked out while the parties were trying to discuss the Registered Nurses’ concerns and reach an agreement. The Medical Center’s latest proposal is not our last proposal. The bargaining team hopes that the Union returns with proposals on any or all of the outstanding articles. There is room for more economic and other movement, but the Union needs to return to the table and present more realistic proposals.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact any of our Medical Center supervisors. You can also submit one through our negotiation website.

Respectfully,

The Keck Hospital and USC Norris Cancer Hospital Bargaining Team

Dear Nurses of USC,

On August 12 we resumed negotiations with CNA. Since we had responded to all the union’s proposals at our last session, we looked forward to receiving the union’s updated counters so we could continue making progress and closing gaps on important topics.

During our session, CNA provided us with their latest proposals in the afternoon and made movement on five articles and one appendix. The Union kept its same position on 13 articles/appendices. Our team then provided updated proposals on all outstanding topics, including additional enhancements to rest guarantees, wages and floating.

Highlights of Our Current Proposals

• Average wage increases of 13% over the life of the contract
• Increased resource hours
• Extend the nine-hour rest guarantee for all Perioperative Registered Nurses assigned to on-call shifts
• A brand-new floating differential
• A guaranteed no-premium healthcare option for all nurses
• Improvements to PACU on call scheduling and part-time weekend scheduling
• Improved technology provisions
• Modified floating proposal to bring the parties closer together

We also had a robust discussion on ways both parties can make movement to advance negotiations. Our team offered to invite a Federal Mediator to join our sessions, whose role is to help the parties reach an agreement by addressing the areas where we are apart.

In the evening, the Union responded to the Medical Center’s proposals for appendices covering Nurse Practitioners and Nurse Educators and made minor adjustments to its economic proposals.

We are set to meet again on Thursday, August 14, and we look forward to making further progress during our session.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact any of our Medical Center supervisors. You can also submit one through our negotiation website.

Respectfully,

The Keck Hospital and USC Norris Cancer Hospital Bargaining Team

Dear Nurses of USC,

On July 15 we resumed negotiations with CNA. Since our next session with CNA unfortunately isn’t until August 12, we came to the session committed to making as much progress as possible to help build positive momentum for our August sessions.

During the session, both parties exchanged several counterproposals, with our team making positive movement to help close the gaps with the PACU On-Call Process, Clinical Ladder and Uniforms.

The Union also invited Nurse Practitioners and Nurse Educators to help review and discuss our appendix proposals that clarify their benefits and terms of employment. We thanked them for taking the time to share their important feedback and were happy to answer their questions.

Lastly, after 7:30 p.m. the Union provided a response to our June 25 wage proposal. In keeping with our commitment to driving this process forward and reaching an agreement as soon as possible, our team continued bargaining until after 10:00 p.m. so we could present an updated wage proposal. Highlights include:

• An average 12.5% increase to your current base rate of pay over the life of the four-year agreement.
  • This is almost $18,000 more to the average RN’s base pay.

• An average first-year base pay increase of more than $3,000.

The parties are next scheduled to bargain on Tuesday, August 12. We look forward to continuing our momentum and receiving the Union’s counterproposal to our wage proposal.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact any of our Medical Center supervisors. You can also submit one through our negotiation website.

Respectfully,

The Keck Hospital and USC Norris Cancer Hospital Bargaining Team

Dear Nurses of USC,

We resumed negotiations with CNA on June 25 and wanted to provide you with an update.

As promised, we provided CNA with our initial wage grid proposal. We are committed to supporting our nurses with competitive compensation and, despite our current financial challenges, our proposal would provide:

• An average 3% increase to your annual compensation upon ratification
• An average 12% increase over the term of the contract

In the evening, the union presented three counterproposals. The parties discussed uniforms and scheduling practices at length, including time between shifts, weekend scheduling, and PACU on-call shifts. Thank you to our nurses for the productive discussion, and we look forward to continuing these important conversations at our future sessions.

The parties are next scheduled to bargain in the afternoon on Tuesday, July 15. We also have confirmed dates for August 12, 14, and 19.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact any of our Medical Center supervisors. You can also submit one through our negotiation website.

The Keck Hospital and USC Norris Cancer Hospital Bargaining Team

Dear Nurses of USC,

On Friday, June 20, Keck Medical Center of USC and the California Nurses Association (“CNA”) met for our eighth day of negotiations. We are sharing this update to provide our Registered Nurses with visibility into the content and progress of these negotiations.

The Medical Center presented proposals for all remaining economic articles, but continues to prepare its wage grid. As referenced in the Important FY26 Budget Management Update on Thursday, the Medical Center and the University are navigating difficult decisions to position them for financial success. Despite these financial challenges, the bargaining team is working diligently to propose increases to the wage grid this week.

As part of its economic proposals, the Medical Center proposed to continue offering differential pay at current rates and to guarantee a no-premium healthcare plan for the next four years. In its Holiday proposal, the Medical Center agreed to add new language to the contract which would guarantee nurses continue to receive a floating holiday for Juneteenth.

Throughout Friday’s negotiations, the Medical Center bargaining team acknowledged the importance of a full economic package, including its forthcoming increase to the wage grid, and reiterated the importance of both parties making proposals that will bring them closer together.

The parties are next scheduled to bargain on Wednesday, June 25. In an effort to reach an agreement, the Medical Center offered six additional dates to meet and bargain with the Union. The Union immediately declined three of those dates and is considering whether to accept any of the other three.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact any of our Medical Center supervisors. You can also submit one through our negotiation website.

Best regards,

The Keck Hospital and USC Norris Cancer Hospital Bargaining Team

Dear Nurses of USC,

On June 17, Keck Medical Center of USC and the California Nurses Association (“CNA”) met for our seventh day of negotiations. We are sharing this update to provide our Registered Nurses with visibility into the content and progress of these negotiations.

In the morning, the union presented counterproposals on a number of outstanding articles. In the afternoon, the Medical Center responded and presented proposals on each item.

Notably, the Medical Center’s counterproposals included an increase in resource nurse hours under Article 8, which is an economic proposal. The Medical Center shared that this resource nurse proposal is conditioned on the union not issuing a strike notice. The Medical Center explained that it was dedicated to working with the union and the nurses to reach a mutually agreeable contract and wanted to commit as many resources as possible to that effort. The bargaining team urged the union to continue to work together at the table to reach the best agreement possible.

In the late afternoon, the union returned to the table with new counterproposals on Article 8 Safe Staffing and Patient Advocacy, Article 9 Grievance Procedure, and Article 29 Technology.

In the evening, the Medical Center accepted the union’s proposal and the parties were able to reach a Tentative Agreement on Article 9 Grievance Procedure.

While the union was preparing its counterproposals, and throughout the day, the Medical Center bargaining team continued evaluating the union’s economic proposals and preparing counterproposals.

The parties are next scheduled to bargain on Friday, June 20. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact any of our Medical Center supervisors. You can also submit one through our negotiation website.

Best regards,

The Keck Hospital and USC Norris Cancer Hospital Bargaining Team

Dear Nurses of USC,

We resumed negotiations with CNA on June 12 and wanted to provide you with an update.

Unfortunately, we were unable to start on time as one of our bargaining team members had to leave the building unexpectedly to seek medical treatment. While that team member sought care, we continued preparing our counterproposals and thoroughly evaluating the union’s initial economic proposals. We greatly appreciated the kind words and patience from the CNA bargaining team during that unexpected event.

Once the full bargaining team reconvened, our team presented several counterproposals, including:

• Article 1: Recognition
• Article 2: Association Representation
• Article 8: Safe Staffing and Patient Advocacy
• Article 9: Grievance Procedure
• Article 12: Floating, Call Offs
• Article 27: Entire Agreement
• Article 29: Technology

The parties continued a meaningful and productive conversation about Resource Nurses, and looks forward to continued discussions on this important topic. The parties also shared a mutual desire to promote transparency during negotiations. To that end, our bargaining team shared that we have completed our full analysis of the union’s initial economic proposals, and we’re getting closer to being able to provide various initial responses.

We look forward to providing you with another update after our session on Tuesday, June 17. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact any of our Medical Center supervisors. You can also submit one through our negotiation website.

Best regards,

The Keck Hospital and USC Norris Cancer Hospital Bargaining Team

Dear Nurses of USC,

Today, Keck Medical Center of USC and the California Nurses Association (CNA) met for our fifth day of negotiations for a new contract for Keck Hospital of USC and USC Norris Cancer Hospital.

During our session, we appreciated hearing from ICU RNs who joined the session to share their experiences related to the Union’s Resource Nurse proposal. Afterward, we had a lengthy and productive discussion with the Union about our respective proposals on Resource Nurses, and we look forward to further discussions on this topic.

Later in the day, the parties discussed their Floating proposals at length and exchanged counterproposals on:

• Article 2: Association Representation
• Article 4: Seniority, Layoffs, and Recall
• Article 8: Safe Staffing and Patient Advocacy
• Article 9: Grievance Procedure
• Article 24: Work Stoppage
• Article 27: Entire Agreement

We look forward to continuing our momentum at our next session on June 12. We shared with the Union that our team continues to prepare counterproposals, including on Technology, which we will be prepared to present at our next session.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact any of our Medical Center supervisors. You can also submit a question through our negotiation website.

Best regards,

The Keck Hospital and USC Norris Cancer Hospital Bargaining Team

Dear Nurses of USC,

Today, Keck Medical Center of USC and the California Nurses Association (“CNA”) met for their fourth day of negotiations for a new contract for Keck Hospital of USC and USC Norris Cancer Hospital. We are sharing this update to provide our Registered Nurses with visibility into the content and progress of these negotiations.

Since our last bargaining session, the Medical Center’s bargaining team continued its comprehensive review of the union’s proposals and prepared its responses. In the morning, the Medical Center noted it was still preparing a Recognition Article proposal, and presented counter proposals on all other outstanding non-economic articles.

The Medical Center offered to answer any questions from the Union about any of its proposals. The parties engaged in comprehensive discussion about the Medical Center’s proposals, including extensive dialogue on:

• Article 2: Association Representation
• Article 8: Safe Staffing and Patient Advocacy
• Article 9: Grievance Procedure
• Article 10: Floatings, Call Offs

At the end of the day, the Union presented its counterproposals, including its first proposal for a wage grid. After presenting its initial wage grid proposal today, the Union confirmed that it has now presented all of its economic proposals.

The Medical Center thanked the union for providing its economic proposals and emphasized the parties’ earlier understanding to address non-economic articles first. Consistent with standard practice and the parties’ previous negotiations, the parties discussed the need to appropriately understand operational aspects of the agreement before engaging in a full discussion of economics.

As a positive end to the day, the parties were able to reach a tentative agreement on Article 22, Subcontracting.

The parties are next scheduled to bargain on Tuesday, June 10. The Medical Center also offered seven additional days, beyond the four already confirmed dates, to bargain with the Union.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact any of the Medical Center supervisors. You may also submit questions to: [email protected]

Best regards,

The Keck Hospital and USC Norris Cancer Hospital Bargaining Team

Dear Nurses of USC,

Today, Keck Medical Center of USC and the California Nurses Association (“CNA”) met for their third day of negotiations for a new contract for Keck Hospital of USC and USC Norris Cancer Hospital. We are sharing this update to provide our registered nurses with visibility into the content and progress of these negotiations.

In the morning, the Medical Center presented its comprehensive non-economic proposals, responding to almost all of the union’s outstanding proposals. The union did not have any questions from the registered nurses about these proposals. The Medical Center also agreed to the Union’s proposals for current language on two additional articles. While the union caucused, the Medical Center continued its comprehensive review of the remaining non-economic articles to prepare its response.

At the end of the day, the Union presented fourteen articles. The union included a preview of its economic proposals. Although the parties have not completed the non-economic discussions, the Medical Center thanked the union for this preview. As the parties agreed during their first bargaining session, non-economic articles will be addressed before turning to economic discussions.

The parties were able to reach one additional Tentative Agreement. In total, the parties tentatively agreed to:

• Article 6: Nondiscrimination and Harassment
• Article 10: Discipline
• Article 25: Notices

The parties concluded another productive day of negotiations with the Medical Center agreeing to respond to the remaining non-economic proposals at the next bargaining session on Thursday, June 5, 2025.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact any of the Medical Center supervisors. You may also submit questions to: [email protected]

Best regards,

The Keck Hospital and USC Norris Cancer Hospital Bargaining Team

Dear Nurses of USC,

Today, Keck Medical Center of USC and the California Nurses Association (“CNA”) met for their second day of negotiations for a new contract for Keck Hospital of USC and USC Norris Cancer Hospital. We are sharing this update to provide our registered nurses with visibility into the content and progress of these negotiations.

In the morning, CNA proposed current language on eighteen articles. With those proposals, CNA confirmed it has presented all of its non-economic articles.

After discussion with the union, the medical center’s bargaining team reviewed the union’s proposals. At the end of the day, the parties were able to reach 11 tentative agreements, including:

• Article 3: Registered Nurse Status
• Article 5: Filling of Vacancies
• Article 7: Union Non-Discrimination
• Article 17: Health and Safety
• Article 18: Education Benefits
• Article 20: Job Security
• Article 21: Management Rights
• Article 23: Association Security
• Article 26: Savings Clause
• Article 28: Resources Nurses
• Article 30: Parking

The parties concluded another productive day of negotiations with the medical center agreeing to respond to the remaining non-economic proposals at the next bargaining session.

The parties are scheduled to resume bargaining on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact any of the Medical Center supervisors. You may also submit questions to: [email protected]

Best regards,

The Keck Hospital and USC Norris Cancer Hospital Bargaining Team

Dear Nurses of USC,

Today, Keck Medical Center of USC and the California Nurses Association (“CNA”) began negotiating a new contract for Keck Hospital of USC and USC Norris Cancer Hospital. We are sharing this update to provide our Registered Nurses with visibility into the content and progress of these negotiations.

In short, the parties first day of negotiations went well.

In the morning, the parties discussed and agreed upon ground rules for negotiations, including the parties’ expectations of civility and transparency. As part of the ground rules, the parties agreed to their standard practice of negotiating non-economic items before negotiating wages and other economic items.

CNA presented proposals on two appendices and five of the contract’s twenty non-economic articles, including:

• Article 2: Association Representation
• Article 4: Seniority, Layoff and Recall
• Article 9: Grievance Procedure
• Article 22: Subcontracting
• Article 29: Technology
• Appendix A: Title 22, 70217, Nursing Service Staff
• Appendix D: Family Care and Medical Leave (FCML) (Unpaid)

The union indicated that it intends to propose maintaining current language on multiple articles during our next session. Consistent with the parties standard practice, the Medical Center indicated that it will collectively respond to all of the union’s non-economic proposals once the union has presented them. In the meantime, the Medical Center asked the union questions about the proposals it did present, and indicated that it will review and prepare to respond.

At the end of the day, the Medical Center thanked the Registered Nurses’ bargaining team for the discussion.

The parties’ next bargaining session is scheduled for May 23, 2025. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact any of the Medical Center supervisors.

Best regards,

The Keck Hospital and USC Norris Cancer Hospital Bargaining Team

Dear Nurses,

We look forward to starting our negotiations with the California Nurses Association (CNA) on a new contract for you, our valued nurses. We know how important the contract is to you, and we pledge to bargain in good faith with the union to reach an agreement that supports you and your profession, provides competitive pay and benefits, and supports our ability to care for our patients with outstanding service and world-class clinical care.

In terms of scheduling, for the last several weeks our team has been working with CNA’s lead negotiator to find dates that worked for both parties. Although we discussed a potential April start date with the union, unfortunately the parties were unable to find mutually agreeable dates in April. This was in part due to the fact that both CNA and certain members of our Employee Labor Relations team were working on successfully finalizing the USC Verdugo Hills Hospital nurses’ contract. With that work completed, we recently provided CNA more than 20 additional open dates where our team is available to meet throughout May and June. We also recently provided the union with over 800 pages of information in response to their request for information. Once dates are agreed to, we look forward to a productive dialogue with CNA and will provide you with updates on our progress along the way.

Also, new for this year, we have created a new online resource for you so you can easily find the latest information from negotiations, see when our next sessions are, and ask questions. You can access this site by going to KeckMedicineUSCNegotiations.com. Please feel free to reach out to your leader with any questions as well.

We are grateful for our extraordinary Keck Medicine team and deeply appreciate your hard work and dedication. We look forward to beginning this negotiation and ultimately reaching an agreement you can be proud to support.

Respectfully,

The Keck Hospital and USC Norris Cancer Hospital Bargaining Team