National Nurses United

18 N A T I O N A L N U R S E W W W . N A T I O N A L N U R S E S U N I T E D . O R G J A N U A R Y | F E B R U A R Y | M A R C H 2 0 2 4 WRAP-UP REPORT California DALY CITY AHMC Seton Medical Center nurses held an informational picket in December to protest their employer's drastic health care cuts, among other actions, that could exacerbate the hospital's persistent recruitment and retention issues. CNA represents approxi- mately 250 nurses at Seton. Seton's owner—AHMC Healthcare, which is based in Alhambra, Calif.—has rushed the implemen- tation of a new medical plan that is vastly inferior to the benefits Seton nurses currently enjoy. "Taking away health care benefits from nurses is an attack on the health and well- being of nurses and our families," said Sharif Adam, RN in the emergency department. "Nurses need to be able to take care of our- selves to provide quality care to our patients." LANCASTER Registered nurses at Antelope Valley Medical Center (AVMC) held a rally in January to highlight their patient safety concerns, including chronic short-staffing, manage- ment's failure to meet California's mandatory minimum RN-to-patient ratios, and retalia- tion against RNs advocating for safe patient care. For the past year, as staffing conditions at AVMC have worsened, nurses have called for the hospital, where CNA represents nearly 900 RNs, to take action by recruiting staff for extra shifts and recruiting and retaining skilled nurses to care for patients. However, hospital management has failed to adequately respond and retaliated against nurses who demand safe staffing, threatening to fire them for speaking out. Nurses have filed documen- tation known as assignment despite objection forms (ADOs) nearly every day since October, reporting unsafe staffing levels. "The conditions here are dire," said Mark Mosesian, RN in the ER. "There are nights when we only have six RNs in the ER and more than 100 patients seeking care. This is unacceptable. It's not safe for patients or staff." WATSONVILLE Registered nurses at Watsonville Commu- nity Hospital (WCH) voted overwhelmingly in favor of ratifying a new three-year con- tract in December. The contract, which includes protections to improve patient safety and nurse retention, is the first collec- tive bargaining agreement since WCH became a public-sector employer following the 2021 bankruptcy fight. California Nurses Association (CNA) represents nearly 250 nurses at the hospital. "We fought hard to win critical measures to retain experienced nurses and secured health and safety provi- sions to improve the hospital's infectious disease prevention efforts," said Shanandrea Castro, an RN in special procedures and member of the bargaining team." Highlights of the contract include improved retention of experienced nurses, with a hospital guaran- tee that 20 percent of staff positions be reserved as part time; safeguards against mandatory overtime and exploitation of nurses working on-call; and precedent-set- ting infectious disease standards and a newly created Infectious Disease Task Force (IDTF) to incorporate nurse input. Maine Nurses and technicians at Down East Com- munity Hospital (DECH) in Machias, held two rallies in January to demand manage- ment address patient safety, chronic short staffing, and staff retention. DECH nurses and technicians—members of Maine State Nurses Association/NNOC—have been negotiating since September 2023 for a new contract. "What the nurses and technicians want most is for our community to be cared for," said Berta Alley, an RN in the infusion clinic and DECH chief nurse representative and negotiator. "We've had numerous vacan- cies go unfilled, causing us to work short through the pandemic while at the same time treating sicker patients. This has left us scrambling to provide basic care and created safety issues for patients and staff." Maryland Nurses at Ascension Saint Agnes in Balti- more held a rally in January as nurses began negotiations for a first contract with hospital management. In November 2023, Saint Agnes nurses voted to join National Nurses Organizing Committee (NNOC), making Saint Agnes the first private-sector hospital in the city to unionize and the fourth Ascen- sion hospital to unionize in 13 months. NNOC represents more than 500 RNs at St. Agnes. "As a native Baltimorean, and a nurse for 45 years, I am thrilled to be a part of the bargaining team that is negotiating for better patient care and nursing working conditions at Saint Agnes," said Robin Buckner, RN in the vascular access therapy unit. "We can make this hospital a better and safer place for the Baltimore community. When it comes to staffing, when it comes to recruit- ment and retention, we're ready to set a new standard for the city." —Staff report Clockwise from top left: Antelope Valley Hospital nurses protest systemic understaffing; Maine nurses held rallies for safe staffing and a fair contract; Baltimore Ascension nurses kick off bargaining for their first ever contract. NEWS BRIEFS

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