Seven Month Delay in Certification Pay

This article is reprinted from the Speak Out Now healthcare newsletter at Kaiser and Highland Hospitals in Oakland, CA.

Over a year ago, in July of 2024, Alameda Health System nurses voted to approve a new contract that includes an additional 3% compensation for holding a specialty certification. The contract states that the new pay was supposed to go into effect on January 1, 2025.

Well just this month, over seven months late, nurses are finally starting to receive the additional compensation on their paychecks. This delay was not only disrespectful but violated the terms of the agreed-upon contract. When we consider how quickly management acts to discipline a nurse for clocking out late, or failing to chart precisely in “real time,” this seven month wait to be paid is simply insulting.

But before you celebrate finally receiving your delayed compensation, double-check your pay stub! Some nurses are reporting that the 3% was incorrectly calculated, and not applied to hours in which they worked overtime. We’ve waited too long to be paid correctly, so don’t let management get away with withholding even more of what you’ve earned!

Click here to read the article printed in the 08-20-25 Healthcare Newsletter