SHC and LPCH announced April 6 that the membership of the union representing registered nurses at both hospitals has voted to ratify new three-year contracts effective immediately.

The agreements with nurses represented by the Committee for Recognition of Nursing Achievement (CRONA) include a 6 percent pay raise immediately, followed by wage increases of 5.5 percent in 2008 and 5.5 percent in 2009.

A federal mediator helped the hospitals and CRONA to reach the new contracts that will run through March 31, 2010 and make nurses at the two hospitals among the best compensated in the Bay Area.

“We value our nurses highly and recognize their dedication and commitment to providing the highest quality care at our hospitals,” said Martha Marsh, SHC’s president and CEO. “We believe these agreements will help our hospitals recruit and retain the very best of the nursing profession and enable us to continue to provide the excellent health care for which we are widely recognized.”