Nurses ratify new union contracts at 17 HCA hospitals

Press release from National Nurses United:

Nurses at 17 HCA facilities in six states ratify new union contracts The new agreements bring improvements in staffing practices and patient care.   Registered nurses at 17 hospitals managed by HCA have voted in favor of ratifying new three-year contracts in recent weeks, concluding a massive 2024 bargaining effort by nurses represented by National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU), the nation’s largest nurses union. Nurses say their newly ratified agreements include measures to improve patient care, patient safety, nurse retention, and working conditions at their hospitals.   Nationally, NNOC/NNU represents more than 8,500 nurses who were at the bargaining table with HCA management throughout 2024, as contracts expired at 17 HCA facilities in six states. In recent weeks, nurses at HCA facilities had voted in favor of authorizing strikes if necessary to resolve negotiations, but an agreement was reached before any strikes were called by nurses on bargaining teams.   Highlights of the contract include: Pilot program on break relief staffing: A new program that will improve staffing practices to ensure nurses can take their meal and rest breaks during their shifts. Nurse floating improvements: New measures will ensure nurses are “floated” (temporarily reassigned) to units similar to their normal specialty. Protections against untested technology: New contract language will ensure nurses have a say in the implementation of new technology like artificial intelligence to ensure it enhances, not diminishes, patient care. Inclusive documentation: Staff can use preferred names and add personal pronouns to name badges. Wage increases: Substantial wage increases that will improve nurse recruitment and retention.   NNOC/NNU represents nearly 10,000 nurses at HCA facilities nationwide, including some who were not bargaining new contracts this year. HCA is one of the largest and wealthiest health care systems in the United States.   For more information and quotes from local nurses, please see the local press releases linked in the facilities list below or contact press@nationalnursesunited.org.   Facilities List (alphabetical by state) Florida HCA Florida Oak Hill Hospital in Brooksville HCA Florida Largo Hospital in Largo HCA Florida Fawcett Hospital in Port Charlotte HCA Florida Trinity Hospital in Trinity HCA Florida Blake Hospital in Bradenton HCA Florida Sarasota Doctors Hospital in Sarasota HCA Florida St. Petersburg Hospital in St. Petersburg HCA Florida Northside Hospital in St. Petersburg HCA Osceola Hospital in Kissimmee HCA Lake Monroe Hospital in Sanford   Kansas Research Medical Center in Kansas City   Missouri Menorah Medical Center in Overland Park   Nevada MountainView Hospital in Las Vegas   North Carolina Mission Hospital in Asheville   Texas Corpus Christi Medical Center in Corpus Christi Las Palmas Medical Center in El Paso Del Sol Medical Center in El Paso