Registered nurses at West Anaheim Medical Center in Anaheim, Calif. voted overwhelmingly in favor of ratifying a new three-year contract yesterday, winning protections to improve patient safety and nurse retention, announced the California Nurses Association/National Nurses United (CNA/NNU).

“Our new contract will enable us to attract and retain nurses and include increased protections for the safety of our nurses,” said Sofia Rivera, RN in the emergency unit. “We took a strong stand and, on behalf of our nurses and our patients, we were able to secure a contract we can be proud of.”

Highlights of the contract include:

• Health and safety improvements
• New Float Pool Nurse classification so RNs are floated to units in their area of expertise, minimizing floating of nurses from unit to unit. (Floating is a management practice where nurses are temporarily reassigned to units of the hospital outside their area of expertise.)
• Significant language improvements to the disciplinary language
• Economic gains that will significantly improve the hospital’s ability to attract and retain RNs.

The new pact covers the period April 12, 2022 to April 11, 2025.

CNA represents more than 240 nurses at West Anaheim Medical Center.

The California Nurses Association/National Nurses United is the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the nation with 100,000 members in more than 200 facilities throughout California and more than 175,000 RNs nationwide.