Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.
Members of California Nurses Association (CNA)—which is affiliated with National Nurses United (NNU)—at Adventist Health Lodi Memorial in California voted earlier this month to ratify their first four-year contract.
Registered nurses at Lodi Memorial first began their organizing campaign during the COVID-19 pandemic and overwhelmingly won their election to join CNA in 2023. Members sought out a voice on the job so they could address issues around recruitment and retention of nurses and its impact on patient care. Their new contract contains a number of wins like workplace violence protections, wage increases, improved benefits, establishment of a grievance procedure and more.
“This has been a wild journey,” said Allison Silva, a registered nurse in the emergency department. “Who would have thought, when we started the whispers of a union almost four years ago, that we would make it here? I am very proud of what we have accomplished in this contract. Nurses organized to demand that Lodi stop putting profits over the lives and safety of our patients and the community, and this contract is an important step toward that goal.”