National Nurses United

NEWS BRIEFS WRAP-UP REPORT California registered nurses at AHMC Seton Med- ical Center in Daly City ratified a new four-year contract on Feb. 19, averting a one-day strike. The Seton RNs, members of California Nurses Association (CNA), an affiliate of National Nurses United (NNU), won a strong contract that addresses safe staffing and nurse recruitment and reten- tion, with 16.5 percent wage increases over four years, with the first year's wage increases calculated from January 2025 and the second year from January 2026. The bargaining unit of 300 nurses now includes RN case managers, clinical nurse special- ists, and nurse educators who received significant wage increases. Nurses' retroac- tive wages include regular, overtime, and on-call hours. On Feb. 19, registered nurses at Cen- tinela Hospital Medical Center in Inglewood voted in favor of a new three-year agreement with economic gains and health benefit pro- visions to help retain and recruit experienced nurses. The CNA members also successfully fought back against takeaways on rest breaks. Nurses at USC Keck Hospital and USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center in Los Angeles held a seven-day strike in February, protesting USC's proposal to restructure employee health care plans that ultimately force RNs to seek care at USC hospi- tals. RNs warned that the introduction of hundreds of RNs and their families to USC facilities will overload an already strained network, leading to longer wait times and delayed care for both employees and existing patients. Since January 2026, USC nurses have been paying higher out-of- pocket costs for health insurance that provides fewer access to providers across the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Nurses say USC has removed the no-premium health plan as a bargaining tool, prioritizing lever- age at the table over addressing RN concerns about patient safety and RN recruitment and retention. CNA represents 1,800 nurses at both USC facilities. On March 18, NNU and Silicon Valley Rising Action announced that U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna of the 17th District of California, has rescinded all contributions received to date from Palantir Technologies, a top Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) technology contractor. He has donated the $49,000 to community groups and publicly refused future donations from the company, whose mass surveillance technology has enabled deadly immigra- tion raids. By the end of March, 3,000 registered nurses from six California Tenet hospitals voted 93 percent in favor of a new three-year contract. The nurses, members of CNA, work at San Ramon Regional Medical Center in San Ramon, Doctors Hospital Manteca in Manteca, Doctors Medical Center in Modesto, Emanuel Medical Center in Tur- lock, Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, and Hi-Desert Medical Center in Twentynine Palms. The agreement includes important protections to improve patient safety and nurse retention, including a dedi- cated rapid response nurse at every facility and a guaranteed minimum orientation for new nurses, no takeaways to health care ben- efits, and wage increases from 11 to 18 percent over the life of the contract. The nurses held a one-day strike back in October 2025 after negotiations stalled. Maine on march 21, nurses at Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor reached a tentative agreement, averting their one-day strike, which had been set for March 23. The nurses overwhelmingly ratified a new three-year agreement on March 25, winning improvements in health and safety, banning weapons, and successfully fighting back against all contract takeaways. EMMC nurses, represented by Maine State Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee (MSNA/NNNOC), won pay increases for every union nurse, ranging from 12 to 17 percent over the life of the agreement, including increases in several pay differentials. Texas registered nurses at St. Joseph Health in Brazos Valley held a rally on April 22, as they launched negotiations for their first contract since voting to join NNOC/NNU in Decem- ber 2025. Nurses say safe staffing, workplace safety, and a strong voice for nurses will be their top priorities as they start bargaining. The union nurses work at St. Joseph Health Regional Hospital in Bryan, St. Joseph Health College Station Hospital in College Station, and three critical access facilities: St. Joseph Health Burleson Hospital in Cald- well, St. Joseph Health Grimes Hospital in Navasota, and St. Joseph Health Madison Hospital in Madisonville. On April 22, CommonSpirit Health was named to the "Dirty Dozen 2026" list by the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health as one of 12 companies whose disre- gard for safety includes repeated and serious violations of workplace safety laws and ignor- ing known hazards. St. Joseph Health is part of CommonSpirit. —Staff report Clockwise from top left: Seton Medical Center nurses in Daly City, Calif. celebrate a new contract; newly unionized nurses at St. Joseph Health in Brazos Valley, Texas kick off bargaining for a first contract; nurses at Tenet hospitals ratify a new contract after a fight that included an October strike. A P R I L | M AY | J U N E 2 0 2 6 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 N A T I O N A L N U R S E 9

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