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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 A P R I L | M AY | J U N E 2 0 2 5 NEWS BRIEFS CALIFORNIA R egistered nurses at Adventist Health Lodi Memorial (AHLM) in Lodi, Calif., voted to ratify a four- year contract on June 4, announced California Nurses Association/National Nurses United (CNA/NNU). AHLM registered nurses are celebrating their victory on key demands related to patient safety and nurse retention. This is the first-ever union contract at AHLM, capping a campaign that began dur- ing the Covid-19 pandemic, including an election vote in March 2023 and an infor- mational picket in October 2024. "This has been a wild journey," said Alli- son Silva, RN in the emergency department. "Who would have thought, when we started the whispers of a union almost four years ago, that we would make it here? I am very proud of what we have accomplished in this contract. Nurses organized to demand that Lodi stop putting profits over the lives and safety of our patients and the community, and this contract is an important step toward that goal." Highlights of the AHLM nurses' first union contract include: • New workplace violence protections, including the ability for nurses to request a different patient assignment if they feel their physical safety is at risk • Establishment of a Professional Practice Committee, a staff RN-controlled commit- tees with the authority to document unsafe practices and the power to make real changes • Competitive wage increases and improved benefits to retain and recruit nurses • Establishment of a grievance procedure, which provides a formal route for nurses to resolve issues with management with the support of their union representatives • New health and safety protections to protect nurses, patients, and the commu- nity, including guaranteed personal protective equipment to prevent the spread of communicable diseases The new contract covers the period from June 4, 2025 to June 3, 2029. CNA repre- sents more than 400 nurses at Adventist Health Lodi Memorial. —Michelle Morris COLORADO R egistered nurses at Common- Spirit Longmont United Hospital (LUH) in Longmont, Colo., made history in April by voting 100 per- cent in favor of ratifying a new three-year contract, winning protections to improve patient safety and nurse retention, announced National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU]. This is the first union con- tract for the nurses at LUH and the first acute-care private-sector contract for RNs in the state of Colorado. "We started organizing because our com- munity deserves the best care when they come to our hospital, and our nurses deserve support to be the best nurses they can be," said Kris Kloster, RN in the post-anesthesia care unit. "I am so proud of the work we have accomplished at the table, and we couldn't have done it without the solidarity of nurses in our facility. Together, we win!" Highlights of the contract include: • Nurse staffing improvements: RN float- ing and cancellation protections that improve patient care and nursing practice standards • Professional Practice Committee: Scheduled monthly meetings with RNs and management to address solutions for ongo- ing patient care concerns • Meal and rest break language to ensure nurse and patient safety • Health and safety provisions to ensure nurses get the highest level of personal pro- tective equipment when caring for patients with infectious diseases • Competitive wages with the Denver metro area and protections for benefits. The new pact covers the period April 10, 2025, to April 10, 2028. The nurses originally won their union vote in 2022. After years of fighting LUH management and with community support, the RNs began bargaining in February 2024. "We are excited to continue championing the fight for safer staffing in our beloved hospital," said Carol Anne White, RN in the intensive care unit. "We won protections that ensure CommonSpirit can never take away protections from us the way Centura (former managers of LUH) did." NNOC will represent more than 250 direct-care nurses at Longmont United Hospital. —Staff report Lodi nurses win their first union contract Nurses win first private-sector contract in state