San Joaquin County health system’s registered nurses voted overwhelmingly in favor of ratifying a new three-year contract on Tuesday, March 11, winning protections to improve patient safety and nurse retention, announced California Nurses Association/National Nurses United (CNA/NNU).

The settlement and ratification comes after nurses issued notice to the County for a three-day unfair labor practice strike, which was set to begin on March 9. San Joaquin County registered nurses began contract negotiations nearly a year ago and successfully fought against County proposals that would have negatively impacted 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, include County 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.
• Wage increases that will keep San Joaquin County competitive with the region’s health care employers and boost recruitment and retention of nurses. 

The new contract covers the period between April 2025 to April 2028. CNA 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 (SJGH) in French Camp, California.

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.