Nurses' income vs MD's income levels is one of the most egregious examples of the wealth disparity in this country. And don't resort to the delusion that MD's work is more significant, more strategic than nurses'.

When nurses are forced to strike due to the situation which is evolving at EC hospital now, and MD's step in to manage recovery of patients, THE DEATH RATE GOES UP. Doctors work to defeat death; nurses work to promote life.

The central issue is how to value the nursing profession, which has traditionally been a woman's profession and so traditionally undervalued. It's part of the endemic sexism pervasive and institutionalized in our society.

Same ol' same ol'... boys privilege... a shining example... hidden of course in the maze of other topics.

An increase of the area's cost-of-living change, as long as the result is not higher than the pay at other area hospitals, seems obvious as a minimum.

Wow.. no wonder I will not be able to afford to retire in MV California... These wages would make Gordon Gekko proud... average full-time nurse will earn over $196,000 in annual wages, with total compensation of over $250,000.. average comp of a Google engineer (most with graduate degrees) is 164K...

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As a former employee. ECH administration does not value long term employees and they are the ones that are most affected by this contract. The hospital would rather lose their experienced nurses and get new hires at the lower pay scale and less benefits. But when the company does that it loses what patients and families come to the hospital for and that is quality and caring care. If this pattern continues I see a black ending for this hospital and possible take over from a corporate hospital system such as Sutter.

I'm so happy this article got published. Aside from the proposed cuts on benefits and less than adequate wage proposals, the hospital's staffing has been a complete mess. This article doesn't even begin to address what is REALLY going on at the bedside. Nurses are fed up. We just want to do our job, and do it well. When the hospital provides bedside nurses with minimal resources and support, the patients suffer along with the nurse. I anticipate the patient satisfaction surveys will reflect some of the chaos that has been going on at our hospital. Not to mention, I'm sure the nursing turnover rates for this year will increase as well. Nurses take great pride in what we do. No one wants to bust their tail for twelve hours, not get all of their breaks, and on top of it- feel like they could have done a better job. El Camino use to be a wonderful place to work. But for over five months, nurses have been bending over backwards to make things work for the sake of our patients and our colleagues. We just earned the hospital a 4th consecutive Magnet Recognition, and the negotiation proposals are a true insult. The hospital needs to reconsider their approach in this negotiation, or they will end up with a nice fancy expansion without the good nurses to help run it.

The "Hospital staff" comment that "nurses working at El Camino Hospital are paid on the "high end" compared to other hospitals, and that an average full-time nurse will earn over $196,000 in annual wages" is false and makes no mathematical sense. Based the pay ranges reported later in the article "nurses have a current salary range of $56.75 to $95.41 per hour". How can the AVERAGE be $196K when the HIGHEST paid nurse is at $95.41/hr making roughly $190k/year? Unless they are averaging in the $500k a year they are paying Cheryl Reinking as Chief Nursing Officer. It's obvious the slant the hospital management (HR in this case) is trying to put on the negotiation.

Ms. Reinkings quote about average nursing salary being in the region of $196,000/year is indicative of the negotiations that have been going on, numbers quoted about nurses salary and hospital financial hardships are false. I am a nurse with over 10 years experience and would love to earn $196K. I am at the higher end of the pay scale, work every other weekend, many holidays and overtime and earn nowhere near that figure. Many of my fellow nurses are required face long and stressful daily commutes because they cannot afford to live anywhere near El Camino Hospital. An 8 hours shift frequently becomes 11 hours and a 12 hours shift often becomes 15 hours because of commute times. At last nights union meeting we had people living as far away as Sacramento, Santa Rosa, Aptos, Watsonville because their salaries do not support Mountain View and surrounding housing prices. We work weekends and holidays. We miss many family events, children's baseball games, birthdays and holidays. On top of this we have physically demanding jobs that frequently lead to long term injuries.

We knew this when we decided to become nurses. We are passionate about good patient care. El Camino used to be a place where all were equally treated with respect be it patients, nurses, physicians and management. All this has been eroded in the last few months. Nurses and their fellow care team members are being asked to do more with less.

We are not asking for outrageous salary and benefit increases. All we are asking for fairness and respect. It is not respectful to take away benefits and differentials or offer below average pay raises.

I am so disappointed in El Camino Hospital....

El Camino Hospital nurses are unified in a common goal. We strive to provide our patients from the tiniest premature infant to the oldest and sickest individuals with the best possible care we can. We have continued to do this despite higher patient volumes and a drastic decrease in resources and ancillary staff. Our nurses have continued to provide the highest quality care that we can, while frequently not getting rest and meal breaks. These are hard working professionals who sacrifice their own well being to care for others in this community.

This is why we are also unified in our stance to put patients and nurses ahead of new buildings, land outside the district, and extremely high administration salaries. Management continues to tell us that if we don't grow we will fail as an organization. As an experienced nurse, I know that the real failure is when we don't put patients first by supporting those nurses who care for them. I have seen it personally at other hospitals where quality of care suffers. The safety and wellbeing of our patients is the reason why El Camino Hospital nurses are prepared to do whatever it takes to secure a contract that recognizes our high quality care, outstanding achievements and is comparable to other nurses in the area.

The salary quoted is false!!! I'm an RN there with more than 15 years experience & I still don't make near $130k & I work MANY hours including weekends, holidays & overtime. RN

I am completely blown away with the hospital stating that the average nurse's wage is $195,000 per year. I have been a registered nurse with my bachelor's degree, work full time for 25 years and do not earn close to that sum. In the past year I have seen my health care premiums go up as well as spending $10,000 dollars out of pocket on health care this year to date. Please take a look at the administration salaries, our CEO and CNO have some of the most lucrative contracts in the Bay Area. Cheryl Reinking, the only person with nursing expertise on the negotiating panel has completely lost touch with the nurses and has lost the trust of the nurses serving under her with her DISMISSIVE emails and policies. Hospital administration...please RESPECT us and the work that we do to make El Camino Hospital a Magnet Hospital x 3 as well as one of the highest ranked hospitals in the area.

I would like Kathryn Fisk, chief human resources officer for the hospital to provide proof or actual documentation that the AVERAGE nurse makes $196K. I have been here over 10 years and I am at the high end of the pay scale and I do NOT make close to $196K. I am talking with other nurses here and they also do not make anywhere close. I am so disappointed in El Camino Hospital's administration for providing lies to the public. You have lost our trust and respect.

Hello Mr. Kevin Forestieri, I hope you are a real journalist who checks out information first and make sure that it is correct in all details, fair and thorough - an ethical journalist. It must have been really painful for you to write this article. I wonder if you checked the information that Kathryn Fisk gave you. Thank you for being diligent and accurate.

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Read ECH financials......stay informed. Public record.

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This article is full of twisted half truths and plain lies!! Poor reporting by journalist who was given some marketing statements by ECH administration.

For starters:

"significant progress has been made to come to an agreement on wages and benefits, and that that the hospital's negotiation team remains optimistic that a full agreement can be reached soon."

Significant?? THERE HAS BEEN ZERO PROGRESS!! That's why there are talks of strikes and picketing! DUH!

"El Camino Hospital are paid on the "high end" compared to other hospitals, and that an average full-time nurse will earn over $196,000 in annual wages, with total compensation of over $250,000."

FALSE!! Ask any ECH nurse! None of us come close to $196K even with overtime and working holidays. I can show you my W-2s. Where is Kathryn getting her numbers?? She should be a politician and quit her HR executive job.

"...shows that nurses have a current salary range of $56.75 to $95.41 per hour, following a 2 percent incremental raise in September."

WHO MAKES $95.41 an hour?!? AND article makes it sound like we are being offered 2% raises which is not even true. Here is what hospital proposed for new contract along with taking away healthcare rights and much more. Flat lump sum of 2% is NOT a raise.

For the new three year contract, ECH presented the following wage proposal:
Year 1: NO wage increase. Flat lump sum of 2%
Year 2: NO wage increase. Flat lump sum of 2%
Year 3: 2% wage increase.

I've been an ECH nurse for almost 15 years. In a few months I'll move up to Step 8 in my pay grade and that's one of the higher steps attainable as a staff RN. I make NOWHERE near $196K. El Camino does NOT pay their nurses at the higher end. In fact, we are now the lowest in the Bay Area!!! Kathryn Fisk has misinformed you and everyone that read this article. Kathryn, you should be utterly ashamed of yourself and these lies you have given to the public. We nurses are ashamed of you and your representation of our nurses and our hospital. Cheryl Reinking is our CNO who makes half a million per year and appears to have forgotten what it means to be a REAL nurse that does direct patient care and keeps the patients alive for our greedy executives to receive their exorbitant paychecks with bonuses on top of their salaries. No one buys her BS letters that try to explain why they need to spend money on upgrades and expansions to the hospital rather than invest in the retention of their 3 TIME awarded MAGNET nurses!!! Here's an idea, how about cut your own executive salaries to $196K- you will still make significantly more than our AVERAGE full time nurse.

If this comment sounds angry and spiteful, well it is. I have always loved working for El Camino Hospital. 15 years of dedication and this is the first time I've really felt dejected, degraded, and disrespected so much that I am ashamed to say I work at this Hospital.

In spite of the repeated complaints regarding the hospital's salary data (which have yet to be disproven, whether or not any individual commenting here experiences or credits them), most of this article's content comes from the nurses' union, and the article gives every appearance of having been initiated by that union. Hospital management appears in the article reactively, with information in response to the writer's questions.

Most of the comments so far also represent the union's side.

If the union wants to buy advertising to make its case, fine; but for a journalistic story I'd prefer more objectivity, more research into the numbers behind these claims by both sides -- wherever it leads.

Magnet Hospital = Nurses. El Camino Hospital has always been a non for profit hospital. Why is there a need for this article? Administration needs to be more transparent to the Nurses/UNION. El Camino Hospital has always been about PATIENTS. Your Nurses are the ones facing the PATIENTS. The NURSES deserve RESPECT from the administration. Maybe El Camino Hospital administration should let everyone know that it is now a for profit hospital. Then the Nurses can understand much better why they do not have to be given the RESPECT they deserve. Is it just all about money now?

As I read this article and the comments that are being made I see the frustration the staff is encountering. Nurses are being penalized for the hospitals infrastructure improvements. Is it really necessary for the hospital to implement a new computer system, purchase land outside of the district, build a 6 story medical building, build a behavioral health facility, and make improvements to the women's hospital all in the a one year time frame,( not a fiscal year). The hospital states they need to "invest" in order to stay competitive,but should it be at the price of their employees? Nurses are asked to stay over and work an additional 4 hours which can mean a 16 hour day or come in on their day off, because the hospital doesn't want to staff accordingly.
Kathryn Fisk shame on you for skewing the "average" RN salary it's not accurate. The majority of nurses work part time, not full time, so LUIS of REX MANOR and everyone else don't always believe what you read, it's only a part truth.

addendum on stop_the_lies. besides the no raise, never mind the cost of living increase which there is none. El Camino is also doing take aways. They don't want to do the double pay on major holidays. they want to take away the differential as it is now. they also want to take away the incentive to come back and work extra shifts by discontinuing the less than back to work in 12 hours which currently pays the nurse time and a half for coming in extra after working a full shift. or staying over an additional 4 hours and coming back to work in less than 8 hours. its all take aways from nurses which is the bloodline for the hospital.

I find it disheartening sad and demoralizing .....20 yrs employed at ECH and it seems that its a "sides" game rather than positions of mutual respect and truth. my personal resources are exhausted, both physical and financial. i am leaving with memories of what used to be "the El Camino Way" and now a playground of childish behaviors. just sad!

I've been a nurse at EVH for 81/2 years. This whole contract negotiation process has left me feeling disheartened, discouraged and disgusted. I've been to all the PRN meetings and don't have a feeling that we are getting any closer to a fair contract that supports the nurses, in the way we've have been in the past. The icing on the cake for me was looking at the Executive compensation numbers. Truly outrageous! I encourage anyone who has the time to "dig" through the document to take a look. It is located in the ECH website. It's very hard to find, of course. However, use the search button for "executive compensation" and it will take you to a 49 page document. Page 19 is where reality sets in. Cheryl Reinking makes well over $400,000.00 with her salary, bonuses, and benefits calculated in. She is a nurse herself, but now counts herself as an executive with pay that matches! So much for being a non-profit hospital.

I asked all my colleagues if they knew anyone working as a full time staff RN who made $196,000 and it was a resounding NO WAY!! This is false. Some of my colleagues have 25-30 years service and experience. Not one made that lofty sum. Where does this figure come from? Maybe RN's that have gone up the ladder into executive positions? Definitely not the bedside caregiver. It is sad that these numbers are put out there. Do the math: $70/hour, 8 hour days, 4 days a week, 50 weeks a year.$112,000. Gross.

I worked at ECH for 29'years, I am retired now and I am truly sad and angry at the way the management has been handling the negotiations. Nobody denies RN's make good money and they deserve every dime, the public does not realizes what a nurse goes thru every day from dealing with doctors, unruly patients sometime violent, exposed to every possible disease , including for a while the potential Ebola threat, working with Inadequate staffing. They delivered a fourth magnet recognition to the hospital and for their reward, they are denied a fair contract. The amount of 196k is laughable , how many nurses earned that amount , I am sure they exist but that is a nurse that probably works 12 hours shift , works 5 days a week, covers sick call , basically lives at the hospital , personally I think that is unsafe, you want a nurse fresh, rested and frankly not pissed off at management and if she earned that kind of money, she deserves it!
In some units the staffing is so short, someone got denied time off to get married! Really! On their days off, they are called almost every day to come and work due to short staffing, that the untold story by management
What management wants is to cut health care benefit, cut diffentials that have been in place for ever, basically offering a contract that would be the worst in the history of the hospital , shame on them, the nurses at this hospital have never strikes but I would encourage them to look into it, in the end it is obvious the management does not values or respect the nurses.
By the way where is the CEO, shouldn't she be more involved, after the hospital only pays her close to 1M a year! Shame on you ECH !

No wonder the government and private sector debt is so high.

30% performance bonuses above regular compensation? Is that still in effect?

That amount should be distributed to the hard working nurses in the hospital.

What Measure M should have done was cap the 30% performance bonus and distribute this to the workforce.

Let's be realistic here. Nurses work hard, and deserve strong wages. So do many other healthcare professionals, many of whom have attended school as long or longer and have advanced degrees, and make far less than an associate's degree new grad RN. Having said that, many RNs have BSNs, some have MSNs, and a few have PhDs. All the RN wage scales however are comparable.

Nurses know that they are lucky to work at El Camino Hospital. The patient care is excellent, the administration supportive and the nursing leadership in particular is strongly centered on quality. I totally understand their desire to leverage for equal wages with Stanford and UCSF --- but these are hugely profitable high volume medical centers compared to ECH, so I also understand the concerns of administration. It is, despite appearances, just a community hospital and the margins can be tight.

Make peace, find a reasonable solution, and go back to what you all do best--- work at one of the world's best community hospitals, who truly cares about their community.

I am not going to weigh in on salaries or management...but to me this is a perfect opportunity to thank all the dedicated nurses that have stood by ailing patients and family members and do everything they can to ease the physical and mental pain of being in the hospital.

IMHO they deserve kudos for taking on such stressful jobs, long hours and physical abuse to their bodies for the graveyard shifts, over time, repetitive motions and being exposed to some pretty nasty diseases and conditions.

Having seen the inside of a hospital far too many times to count I would just like to say thank you!

Crunching the numbers given earlier:

$196k annual (management high-end)
/ $74/hr (glassdoor.com high-end)
/ 50 (working weeks per year)
= 52.97 (hours per week)

53 hours a week of nursing work sounds pretty tough to me.