Registered nurses with Contra Costa County Health Services voted 95 percent in favor of ratifying a new contract, winning protections to improve patient safety and nurse retention, announced California Nurses Association (CNA). 

“Nurses fought hard for 14 months to achieve a contract that is strong enough to recruit and retain nurses here in Contra Costa County’s safety net health system,” said Danielle Lopez-Odell, RN in the medical surgical unit at Contra Costa Regional Medical Center. “We’ve secured better working conditions, workplace violence protections, and protected the benefits that our nurses and our retirees depend on.”

Highlights of the contract include: 

• Improved union nurses’ ability to combat violence, harassment, and retaliation in the workplace;
• Job and hour stability as H.R. 1 cuts to Medi-Cal impact the health system;
• Prevention of the elimination of the health plan of more than 400 nurses and many more retired county nurses; and
• No takeaways.

“Public sector nurses have dedicated our careers to caring for the most vulnerable residents of the county,” said Stefani Macagba, RN in the emergency unit at Contra Costa Regional Medical Center. “This contract honors our expertise and gives nurses the stability we need to stay with the county through these turbulent times.

The new pact covers the period from September 2026 to November 2029. CNA represents more than 1300 nurses at Contra Costa County Health Services.

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.