Registered nurses who work at 19 University of California facilities have ratified a new contract after voting concluded Saturday.
The contract will cover some 25,000 registered nurses and includes protections to improve patient safety and nurse retention from Nov. 1, 2025 to Jan. 31, 2029, according to the California Nurses Association.
The pact includes a minimum 18.5% increase in pay, caps on health care increases, restrictions on UC floating RNs between facilities, improvements to meal and rest breaks and workplace violence-prevention policies, the CAN said.
“University of California RNs organized for and won important patient protections at the bargaining table, like curbing the rampant misuse of floating and ensuring safeguards on artificial intelligence,” said Kristan Delmarty, an RN and member of the UC bargaining team and CNA’s board of directors.
“As a result of the commitment of all CAN members, we won a contract that will improve outcomes for nurses and our patients,” said Marlene Tucay, a RN at UC Irvine and member of the bargaining team.
Under the contract, RNs were guaranteed a central role in selecting, designing and validating new technology, including AI systems, the CNA stated.
Since when was nursing’s priority money, vs enjoyment of taking care of patients. California nurses are already the highest paid in the nation. Yes, many are living in areas that the cost of living is higher, but not at the sums they are asking to be paid. Most nurses I know here in California have a home and drive a nice car. Many of the older ones are also single.