A nurses union reported over the weekend that its 18,000 members in Central and Northern California have reached a tentative contract with Kaiser Permanente and its hospitals and clinics, a settlement that also will affect Southern California Kaiser nurses, a union representative said. The California Nurses Association said the new contract would give a 14 percent pay increase over three years for nurses in the northern part of the state. Kaiser nurses in Southern California expect similar treatment and have filed for certification to be represented by the same union, union spokeswoman Debra Grabelle said Saturday.
