Registered nurses at HCA’s Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose, Calif., voted overwhelmingly this week in favor of ratifying a new five-year contract. This contract includes significant wins including protections to improve patient safety and nurse retention announced California Nurses Association/National Nurses United (CNA/NNU).

“Thanks to the solidarity of our nurses, our bargaining team was able to accomplish the goals of improving patient safety and the recruitment and retention of nurses,” said Lydia Vasovich-Gmerek, a registered nurse in the neonatal intensive care unit and the chief nurse representative with CNA. “We fought back takeaways and shortened the grievance resolution process. We significantly improved workplace violence protections and protections against technology replacing nurses. Importantly, we guaranteed recognition of nurses’ prior years of acute experience when they are hired, and that includes international experience. This is a contract nurses can be proud of.”

Highlights of the contract include:

• Improvements to break relief and double the amount of dedicated break relief nurses.
• Staffing transparency, including a commitment from management to have the CFO and CEO meet with nurses and provide an explanation on how they are calculating their safe patient staffing ratios.
• Maintains all benefits and the right to strike mid-contract over staffing disputes.
• 12-hour RNs guarantee of no cancellation mid-shift.
• Improved scheduling language.
• Streamlined grievance resolution process.
• Improved protection against workplace violence and strong new language protecting RNs from replacement by technology.
• Improved vacation bidding rules.
• Increased certification bonus.
• Wage increases of up to 45 percent for some RNs over the life of the agreement.

The new collective bargaining agreement covers the period July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2030.

“We fought hard to ensure we have a good deal that will benefit nurses and patients for years to come,” said John Pasha, a registered nurse in the cardiovascular intensive care unit. “Importantly, this five-year agreement aligns our contract’s expiration with 17 other union-represented HCA hospitals across the country. This is a huge victory!”

CNA represents more than 950 nurses at HCA’s Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose.

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.