RNs win strong measures to improve patient safety and nurse retention

Registered nurses at Chinese Hospital in San Francisco, Calif., voted to ratify a three-year contract on June 27, announced California Nurses Association/National Nurses United (CNA/NNU). Nurses are celebrating their victory on key demands related to patient safety and nurse retention.

“We understand our patients in a way that can’t be taught or replicated because we are connected to this community,” said Jeanie Gee, RN in the medical-surgical department at Chinese Hospital. “Our new contract with Chinese Hospital is a move closer to retaining nurses with the language and cultural skills to care for our unique patient population.”

The nurses were able to secure improvements to their working environment which improves care for their patients, including:

• Ensuring training shifts for newly hired nurses and their trainers won’t be cancelled due to low census.
• Improved conditions for the training of nursing students in the hospital.
• Additional time for nurses to work on workplace violence prevention and staffing/safe patient care.
• Improved retention of per diem nurses.

Chinese Hospital nurses joined CNA in 2019 and negotiated their first contract in 2021. CNA represents around 100 nurses at Chinese Hospital.

California Nurses Association/National Nurses United is the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the nation with more than 100,000 members in more than 200 facilities throughout California and more than 225,000 RNs nationwide.