Nurses celebrate wins for patients and their entire community.

Registered nurses at Providence St. Mary Medical Center in Apple Valley, Calif., have overwhelmingly voted to ratify a new three-year union contract with hospital management, the culmination of a campaign persuading Providence management to invest in patient care improvements at the hospital, California Nurses Association/National Nurses United (CNA/NNU) announced today.  

“This new agreement leaves us in a much stronger position to retain the experienced nurses our community deserves,” said Christian Diede, RN in the St. Mary catheterization laboratory. "We’re so proud to have fought for a contract that best supports our ability to care for patients." 

“The new agreement will uphold high-quality care in the community served by our facility,” said Julie Schiele, RN at St. Mary.

“Our nurse leaders and members have seen the power of what happens when we stand together advocating for what’s best for our patients,” said Stacy Teal, RN in the St. Mary intensive care unit. “When nurses and our community unite, we can’t be ignored.”

The agreement includes contract protections for nurses to advocate for improved patient care, as well as improvements to wages and overall working conditions that will enhance staff recruitment and retention at the hospital.

CNA/NNU represents around 700 registered nurses at Providence St. Mary Medical Center in Apple Valley. CNA/NNU also represents around 3,500 RNs at Providence hospitals who are covered under a different contract.

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 nearly 225,000 RNs nationwide.