Over 2,000 nurses at Keck Medical Center and Norris Cancer Center at USC staged a strike in mid-February. It was the most recent culmination of intermittent bargaining for a return to status quo benefits since changes last May. Yet, Keck made little noise for two months.
USC hospital administration had been uncharacteristically silent. Despite their remonstrances and attempts to contact Keck, nurse strike leaders had seen little to no progress from the hospital on negotiations, according to a flyer in the nurse break room posted by the California Nurses Association (CNA).
On April 17, after months of inaction, the executive nurse leaders of Keck announced they had resumed negotiations with the CNA, with a federal mediator supporting the talks. In a statement, Keck Medical Center expressed willingness to consider advancing wage increases and a no-premium USC Exclusive Provider Organization (EPO) Select plan…