National Nurses United

14 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 6 NEWS BRIEFS WRAP-UP REPORT California registered nurses at Providence Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, Calif., overwhelmingly ratified a new three-year contract on Jan. 23. The 640 nurses, repre- sented by California Nurses Association/National Nurses United (CNA/NNU), won an agreement that priori- tizes key issues, including expanding access to educational benefits, strengthening recruitment, and long-term retention of RNs. Highlights of the contract include safe staffing for safe patient care and economic gains and health benefit protections to help retain and recruit experienced nurses, including increases to all the differ- entials for weekends, nights, evenings, preceptor pay, and more; 100 percent match contributions for 401(k) plans; and no take- aways to contractually negotiated benefits. Maine registered nurses at Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center (EMMC) held a rally outside the Bangor hospital on Jan. 16 to highlight their contract demands. The nurses, who are represented by Maine State Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee (MSNA/NNOC), picketed and chanted and then held a can- dlelight vigil at sunset. Many friends and community members joined the nurses in solidarity for better conditions for patients and nurses at EMMC. "We are bringing our community's needs to EMMC's management through our con- tract bargaining," said Nichole Oliver, RN and union bargaining team member. "We all need to be safe inside the hospital, and that means safe staffing and no danger- ous weapons inside the hospital." Nurses have been bargaining for a new contract since July 2025. Their contract expired on Sept. 15, 2025. MSNA/NNOC represents 900 nurses at EMMC. Missouri rns at ssm Health Saint Louis University Hospital (SLUH) in St. Louis, Mo., held a rally on Dec. 23, to highlight chronic short staffing and ongoing safety concerns that SSM Health has repeatedly refused to address. The more than 700 SLUH nurses are represented by National Nurses Organiz- ing Committee/National Nurses United. After a tragic incident in the emergency department in November, nurses are calling on SLUH to drastically overhaul its priorities and immediately shift its focus to ensuring that patients and staff are safe. Weapons rou- tinely make it into patient care areas, putting nurses and patients at risk. RNs are demand- ing that nurses be able to deliver care without being subjected to violence in the workplace. "Many units at SLUH are dangerously understaffed," said Kellie Allen, RN. "We will continue to stand up and speak out until our employer lives up to the values they market to our community and put the health and safety of patients and workers before their bottom line." New York rns and veterans held a rally in the Bronx on Jan. 8 to denounce the Trump administra- tion's plans to cut tens of thousands of jobs from the VA. The VA informed NNOC/NNU that 138 positions will be eliminated in the Bronx, and 245 positions will be cut across Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens. The secretary of the VA, Doug Collins, told NPR in December that up to 25,000 positions would be eliminated across the country. "It is absolutely gut wrenching to see this administration take their axes to the VA and brutally hack away at this world-class insti- tution, the only health care system in the country specifically designed to care for vet- erans and to address their unique needs," said Sharda Fornnarino, RN and sec- retary of the VA division for NNOC/NNU. Washington, D.C. registered nurses at MedStar Washing- ton Hospital Center in Washington, D.C. voted overwhelmingly in favor of ratifying a new three-year contract on Jan. 31, winning protections to improve patient safety and nurse retention. "This contract will help MedStar nurses as we seek to provide the highest quality of care to our patients," said Julia Truelove, RN. "I am so proud of the nurses who stood together as we fought so hard to get these improvements." The nurses who are members of NNOC/NNU won a contract that includes improvements in workplace violence lan- guage and the addition of an RN to the hospital-wide workplace violence commit- tee; brand new technology language that allows for bargaining for any new technol- ogy implemented; language that requires hospital staffing to ensure the nurses are immediately available for patient care; and wage increases of up to nearly 24 percent over the life of the contract. NNOC repre- sents more than 2,200 nurses at MedStar Washington Hospital Center. —Staff report Clockwise from top left: Saint John's RNs celebrate new contract; MedStar Washington Hospital Center nurses win patient protections in new deal; Eastern Maine Medical Center nurses fight for a fair contract.

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