100,000 National Nurses United members to negotiate contracts in 2025

Major Contract Negotiations Ahead for National Nurses United Members

On January 16, registered nurses affiliated with National Nurses United (NNU) will engage in various actions, such as marches and rallies, to advocate for safer staffing levels and patient protections as artificial intelligence technologies rapidly enter the healthcare sector.

Over 100,000 nurses represented by NNU are set to negotiate new contracts with significant healthcare organizations like UCHealth and Dignity Health. The nurses aim to address issues undermining patient care and the chronic challenges of recruiting and retaining registered nurses, which they argue are overlooked in the pursuit of higher profits.

Nancy Hagans, a registered nurse and president of NNU, emphasized, “Today, nurses across the country are taking to the streets to let our communities know that in 2025, as in all years past, we are committed to providing the highest quality of care for every patient.” She further stated, “We will fight fearlessly against the profit-driven hospital industry, which seeks to undermine nursing care through unconscionable understaffing and reckless automation.”

NNU stands as the largest and fastest-expanding union in the United States, boasting nearly 225,000 members nationwide. The upcoming protests, including events in Washington, D.C.; El Paso, Texas; and various locations in California, aim to underscore the nurses' support for prioritizing patient care over profit margins.

See here for a detailed list of actions on Jan. 16. Coverage can be found on NNU’s social accounts.

Nurses advocate for solutions such as mandated nurse-to-patient ratios and comprehensive workplace violence prevention plans to resolve the staffing crisis and draw nurses back to bedside roles. According to a recent analysis by NNU, over a million registered nurses with active licenses are not working in hospitals due to unsafe conditions within the industry.

Hagans added, “Patient advocacy is at the core of what we do as nurses. That’s why we’re demanding safe staffing and protections against untested technologies such as A.I. We see the harm that these cost-cutting schemes cause our patients on a daily basis.”

In 2024, NNU introduced its Guiding Principles for A.I. usage, emphasizing patient care, safety, and equity. The union has expressed significant concerns regarding the implementation of A.I., sharing these with employers, regulators, and the public.

A 2024 survey conducted by NNU involving over 2,300 registered nurses revealed that 60% lacked confidence that their employers prioritize patient safety in A.I. deployment. Additionally, discrepancies frequently arose between nurses' assessments and those generated by A.I. systems.

NNU nurses have long opposed the use of unproven technologies intended to deskill and replace their work. Through collective actions and bargaining, they have achieved technology protections to safeguard patients and the profession, with recent successes in HCA facilities being notable examples.

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