Members of a St. John's Regional Medical Center employee union voted to ratify an agreement Wednesday night that will ensure paychecks keep coming during temporary closure of the hospital next month.

Members of the Service Employees International Union voted 410-12 in favor of the agreement, said John Borsos, vice president of SEIU United Healthcare Workers West. Borsos called the results of the vote "massively overwhelming."

The agreement guarantees regular wages during the hospital's closure for full- and part-time employees who agree to work at other area hospitals if requested.

The Oxnard hospital — the busiest in the county — plans to shutter patient-care wings Aug. 14 to fumigate a long-standing mold infestation.

Patient admissions will be scaled back starting Monday, with the emergency room closing Aug. 8. The state still has to approve the plan and will also have to give its go-ahead before the hospital reopens Aug. 24.

The 265-bed medical center treated and discharged 17,000 patients last year and saw 45,000 patients in its emergency room.

The agreement is thought to have softened the impact the closure will have on staff members, patients and other hospitals.

If no work is available, employees will still be paid under the agreement. Nurses and other workers also will receive full compensation if they work fewer hours while the hospital whittles admissions.

Employees will not be disciplined if they refuse a work assignment at another facility, but they will not receive wages, according to the agreement. Borsos liked the fact that employees can choose whether to work an assignment.

Ventura County Medical Center and Community Memorial Hospital in Ventura, and St. John's sister hospital, Pleasant Valley in Camarillo, expect to be hit hardest by the closure. Employees will be asked to float to those hospitals and Los Robles Medical Center in Thousand Oaks when the need arises.

The hospitals have provided a list of staffing needs to St. John's management and the union.

The hospital and union are working together to assign employees based on their skills. Orientation will be provided for those going to work at other hospitals.

"This is a testament to the hard work on both sides," Borsos said.

— Correspondent Miguel Hernandez contributed to this report.