Members of the California Nurses Association have approved a new labor contract with Washington Hospital Healthcare System in Fremont, Calif.
The four-year agreement covers roughly 840 nurses, according to a union news release. It was approved by union members May 3 and by the Washington Township Health Care District board of directors May 8.
"Ratifying this new contract is a major achievement for us as nurses and a union," Kim Lake, RN, said in the release. "Nurses fought hard and won on our key bargaining demands, achieving this historic contract for our members, patients and community."
According to the CNA, the new deal includes a 22.5% across-the-board increase in wages over four years.
It also includes "precedent-setting standard expanding infectious disease protocols and workplace violence protections"; language that protects union members' ability to take meal and rest periods; and protections for part-time positions, according to the union.
Kimberly Hartz, CEO of Washington Hospital Healthcare System, said in a statement shared with Becker's: "The board's action supports our efforts to remain competitive in the labor market as we look to the future and the critical initiatives we are pursuing to grow and sustain our mission for another 65 years. We are pleased that our nurses ratified the agreement so that we can continue recruiting and retaining caregivers who uphold our Patient First Ethic to deliver high-quality, evidence-based care."
The contract is retroactive to September 2023 and runs to July 2026.