Sutter Davis nurses ratify first union contract

Nurses ratified a two-year agreement with Sutter Health

Registered nurses at Sutter Davis Hospital in Davis, Calif., voted to ratify their first-ever collective bargaining agreement last night. Nurses, represented by California Nurses Association/National Nurses United (CNA/NNU), say the new agreement is a hard-fought victory for their patients and themselves.

"This is a massive victory for us as nurses and for our patients," said Kathleen Belle Dartt, RN in the medical-surgical-telemetry unit at Sutter Davis. "We've won measures that will make our hospital a better place to get care and a better place to work. With this new agreement, we'll have solidified our voice in how our hospital runs.

Highlights of the agreement include:

• Establishment of a staff RN-controlled committee that holds meetings with management to address solutions for ongoing patient care concerns.
• Workplace violence prevention language that requires meetings with security and administration to improve policies and procedures
• Protections against untested technology through contract language that ensures nurses have a say in the implementation of new technology, such as artificial intelligence, to ensure it enhances, not diminishes, patient care.
• Prohibitions against mandatory overtime and just-cause discipline protections
• Economic gains and health benefit provisions to help retain and recruit experienced nurses, including a 10.5 percent wage increase over two years, in addition to 2.75 percent yearly steps for new hires. No healthcare takeaways.

"We are so proud of our first contract. Our new committee will empower us to make real changes in patient care," said Bernadette Arreola, RN in the perioperative unit at Sutter Davis. "Our wins in this contract will give us a seat at the table and the conditions we need to recruit and retain highly skilled nurses."

Nurses at Sutter Davis voted to join CNA/NNU in August 2024, making them one of 18 Sutter facilities represented by CNA/NNU.

CNA represents more than 250 nurses at Sutter Davis Hospital and more than 8,500 nurses at Sutter facilities across 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.