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TEXAS R egistered nurses at Common- Spirit Health's St. Joseph Health in Brazos Valley, Texas voted deci- sively in December to unionize with National Nurses Organizing Commit- tee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU). "This is a great day for the nurses at St. Joseph Health and for the patients in our community," said Tara Cassell, a registered nurse in the labor and delivery unit. "Nurses have come together to ensure that our voices are heard as we advocate for our patients. We were compelled to organize and form a union because of our deep concerns about our patients' safety and well-being. We are excited to build a strong contract that pro- tects nurses and patients so we can provide the best care possible." The election was held on Dec. 9 and 10 and conducted by the National Labor Rela- tions Board. NNOC/NNU will now represent some 750 registered nurses who are part of St. Joseph Health Regional, with hospitals in Bryan and College Station, and three critical access facilities in Texas: St. Joseph Health Burleson Hospital in Cald- well, St. Joseph Health Grimes Hospital in Navasota, and St. Joseph Health Madison Hospital in Madisonville. Nurses say they voted to join the union because it is critical that nurses have a say in making decisions in patient care, staffing, and to help recruit and retain experienced nurses, which leads to improved patient care. St. Joseph Health is owned by Common- Spirit Health, one of the largest Catholic health care systems in the nation. Common- Spirit Health made $1.1 billion in profits last year. In past years, the compensation for CommonSpirit Health CEOs has been among the highest for nonprofits in the country. Former CEO Lloyd Dean and cur- rent CEO Wright Lassiter III, took home a combined $36.6 million in 2024. Nurses contend that CommonSpirit clearly has the funds to address the patient safety issues at St. Joseph Health. "Nurses understand the importance of putting patient care and safety before prof- its," said Katie Oberhelman, a registered nurse in the medical unit. "As we bargain for our first contract, we will be negotiating for our patients. We must demand safe staffing in all our units and on every shift that takes into account the acuity of our patients. We must put in safeguards against workplace violence in order to ensure that our hospital is first and foremost a place of healing." Nurses will now move to elect their bar- gaining team and prepare to negotiate their first contract. NNOC/NNU now represents more than 17,000 nurses at 33 Common- Spirit Health facilities across the country. —Rachel Berger Union victory in Texas Nurses at St. Joseph Health in Brazos Valley join NNOC/NNU NEWS BRIEFS 2025 Statement of Ownership, Management, and Circulation Publication title: National Nurse. Publication number: USPS 0807-560, ISSN 2153-0386. Filing date: 9-29-2025. Issue frequency: Quarterly, with combined issues in January-February-March, April- May-June, July-August-September, and October-November-December. Number of issues published annually: 4. Annual subscription price: $40. Complete mailing address of known office of publication: 155 Grand Ave., Oakland, Alameda County, California, 94612. Contact person: Lucia Hwang. Telephone: (510) 273-2200. Complete mailing addresses of headquarters or general business office of publisher: Same as above. Publisher: California Nurses Association/National Nurses United, 155 Grand Ave., Oakland, California, 94612. Editor: Lucia Hwang. Managing editor: None. Owner: California Nurses Association/National Nurses United, 155 Grand Ave., Oakland, California, 94612. Known bondholders, mortgagees, and other security holders owning or holding 1 percent or more of total amount: none. Tax status: Has not changed during preceding 12 months. Publication title: National Nurse. Issue date for circulation data below: April-May-June 2025. Extent and nature of circulation: Registered nurse members of CNA/NNU and subscribers. For the following, the first number represents the average number of copies of each issue during preceding 12 months and the second number represents the number of copies of the single issue published nearest to filing date. Total number of copies (net press run): 206,995; 209,045. Mailed outside-county paid subscriptions stated on PS Form 3541: 199,205; 202,263. Mailed in-county paid subscriptions stated on PS Form 3541: 0; 0. Paid distribution outside the mails including sales through dealers and carriers, street vendors, counter sales, and other paid distribution outside USPS: 0; 0. Paid distribution by other classes of mail through the USPS: 76, 78. Total paid distribution: 199,281; 202,341. Free or nominal rate outside-county copies included on PS Form 3541: 0; 0. Free or nominal rate in-county copies included on PS Form 3541: 0; 0. Free or nominal rate copies mailed at other classes through the USPS: 0; 0. Free or nominal rate distribution outside the mail: 0; 0. Total free or nominal rate distribution: 0; 0. Total distribution: 199,281; 202,341. Copies not distributed: 7,714; 6,704. Total: 206,995; 209,045. Percent paid: 100%; 100%. Information in this statement will be published in the October-November-December 2025 issue of this publication. 6 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 O C T O B E R | N O V E M B E R | D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 5