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12 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 U LY | A U G U S T | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 4 WRAP-UP REPORT California DUARTE Registered nurses at City of Hope Medical Center in Duarte voted overwhelmingly in June to ratify a new four-year contract, win- ning protections to improve patient safety and nurse retention. California Nurses Asso- ciation (CNA) represents nearly 1,600 nurses at City of Hope. "This is a historic win for City of Hope nurses," said Jasmine Briones, an RN in the outpatient surgery center. "The contract pri- oritizes safe staffing, which includes a new resource nurse program that will increase the number of nurses on the units in addi- tion to giving our nurses the ability to take their meal breaks and rest periods." Highlights of the contract include safe staffing language, including the new resource nurse program and a 25 percent across-the-board wage increase over the life of the contract. TORRANCE Registered nurses at Providence Little Com- pany of Mary Medical Center in Torrance voted to ratify a new three-year contract in August. RNs won key measures to improve working conditions and patient care at their facility. "We're very proud of what we were able to achieve," said Maria Chavez, RN in the telemetry oncology unit. "We now have an agreement that we think will improve our recruitment and retention rates of RNs, including our vastly expanded educational program that offers RNs tuition assistance and more." Contract highlights include stronger health and safety measures, breaks with safe staffing, and a 14.5 percent across-the-board wage increase over the term of the contract, in addition to step increases. Missouri Registered nurses at SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital (SLUH) in St. Louis, voted overwhelmingly in favor of ratifying a new three-year contract in July, winning protections to improve patient safety and nurse retention. The RNs fought hard for a strong contract for more than a year, includ- ing holding an informational picket in July 2023, their first strike in the history of the hospital in September 2023, followed by a two-day strike in December 2023, a candle- light vigil in February 2024, and a rally in June 2024. SLUH nurses also called out management's persistent union-busting, outsourcing of RN jobs, and refusal to address the RNs' concerns about recruit- ment and retention as well as workplace violence prevention. "This new contract is a huge win for patients and nurses," said Earline Shepard, RN in the cardiac catheterization lab at SLUH. "It was a long time coming but we finally won an agreement that will let us recruit and retain experienced nurses. With improved staffing, we can give our patients the care they deserve." Highlights of the contract include safe staffing provisions, including language that establishes a nurse staffing subcommittee elected by RNs that will work with the committee of elected nurses to review hos- pital policies, procedures, and staffing plans and make recommendations, which the chief nursing officer is required to review and respond to. In addition, there were no contract takeaways and the aver- age wage increase was 17 percent over the life of the agreement with a maximum raise of 40 percent, plus RNs retained the cur- rent health insurance plan. "We are proud that through our collective action and solidarity, we were able to fight back against contract takeaways, keep our health insurance options, and ensure nurse input regarding staffing policies," said Kellie Allen, RN in the cardio-thoracic step-down unit. "Our strong contract will ensure that our patients will be cared for by nurses who live and work in the community." —Staff report Clockwise from top: City of Hope RNs rally for a fair contract; St. Louis University Hospital RNs win new pact after multiple strikes and actions; Providence Little Company of Mary nurses cele- brate new agreement. NEWS BRIEFS