2000s: Major milestones in our history
2000: Kaiser Orange County registered nurses, nurse practitioners and physician assistants join UNAC/UHCP through card check.
At the same time, 60 physician assistants from Kaiser Panorama City, Kaiser Bakersfield and what would become Kaiser South Bay join UNAC. While the Orange County affiliate was established in 1997, this win marked the official certification.
2000: Optometrists at Kaiser Permanent across Southern California join UNAC/UHCP.
The group is the first regional group in UNAC/UHCP, now one of nine.
2000: Federal Needlestick Safety Act is signed into law.
Prior to the law, between 600,000-1,000,000 injuries occurred nationwide each year, infecting 1,000 health care workers annually with bloodborne illness.
The law went into effect on July 21, 2001 and improved existing OSHA regulations.
2000: Lakewood registered nurses join UNAC/UHCP.
Lakewood RNs fought a major battle to secure a contract, including a picket that resulted in management trying to drive members away by turning on sprinklers.
2001: UNAC/UHCP negotiates better-than-eventual-state-law UNAC ratios at Kaiser Permanente hospitals in Southern California.
While nurse-to-patient ratios are still being finalized, UNAC/UHCP wins even better ratios. These so-called UNAC ratios were added to the Kaiser Blue Book contract, covering registered nurses, nurse practitioners and physician assistants across thirteen SoCal Kaiser affiliates, in 2018.
2002: UNAC/UHCP-supported California AB 2314 is signed into law.
The bill required the California Community Colleges and California State colleges to standardize all nursing pre-reqs.
2003: UNAC/UHCP supports the enactment of California Assembly Bill 1241.
This legislation that establishes an associate degree nursing (ADN) scholarship program. Click here if you’re an aspiring nurse.
2004: California Nurse-to-Patient Ratios Become Effective
2004: Kaiser Ontario Vineyard affiliate branches off to become new affiliate.
Membership in this group increases dramatically when the Ontario Vineyard Medical Center opens in 2011.
2006: Kaiser Bakersfield registered nurses and nurse practitioners branch off to form own affiliate.
Physician assistants at Bakersfield were already UNAC/UHCP members.
2006: One of UNAC/UHCP’s founders, longtime Executive Vice President Sonia Moseley, RNP, retires.
Moseley goes on to found another piece of UNAC/UHCP history, the Retiree Council, where she serves as President.
2008: Registered nurses at Parkview Community Hospital join UNAC/UHCP.