San Joaquin County nurses win new contract
RNs held one-day strike, avert second strike before contract victory
By Michelle Morris
National Nurse magazine - Jan | Feb | March 2025 Issue
After a long fight, San Joaquin County health system’s registered nurses won a new three-year contract on March 11, winning protections to improve patient safety and nurse retention. The settlement and ratification came after nurses held a one-day unfair labor practice (ULP) strike in January and issued notice to the County for a three-day ULP strike, which was set to begin on March 9. Also, in November 2024, the nurses spoke out at a San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors meeting to demand a fair resolution to the ULP charge and the contract and held an informational picket for patient safety and equal treatment.
The January strike was held to protest management’s persistent undermining and circumvention of the bargaining process since the nurses’ contract expired. The nurses filed a ULP charge against the county, charging that management made unilateral changes outside of the bargaining process, jeopardizing the recruitment and retention of nurses, directly impacting patient safety.
San Joaquin County registered nurses began contract negotiations nearly a year ago and successfully fought against county proposals that would have hurt health care benefits.
“This has been a long, hard-fought victory for San Joaquin County nurses,” said Kelly Mertz, RN in the trauma department. “With this contract, San Joaquin County can be a competitive health care employer — meaning it can recruit and retain experienced nurses and avoid staffing crises. Our collective union power, our solidarity, and our commitment to each other and to patient safety brought this monumental contract to reality. We have once again proven that when nurses stand up and fight for what is right, we win.”
Highlights of the contract include improvements to nurse, health care worker, and patient health and safety, such as commitments to maintain a stockpile of personal protective equipment (PPE) and nurse access to the hospital’s Workplace Violence Committee; improved non-discrimination language, including nurse inclusion on the hospital’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee; and wage increases that will keep San Joaquin County competitive with the region’s health care employers and boost recruitment and retention of nurses.
California Nurses Association represents more than 1,000 registered nurses across San Joaquin County, including public health and county jail nurses, and RNs at San Joaquin General Hospital in French Camp.