St. Joseph Health nurses to hold rally for patient safety

RNs prepare for upcoming negotiations for their first contract

Registered nurses from St. Joseph Health in Brazos Valley, Texas, will hold a rally on Thursday, Feb. 19, as they prepare for upcoming negotiations for their first contract since forming a union last December, announced National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU). Nurses say safe staffing, workplace safety, and a strong voice for bedside nurses will be their top priorities as they start negotiations.

"Following our historic union election in December, we are preparing to negotiate our first union contract with NNOC/NNU," said Dab Lewis, RN in the labor and delivery unit at St. Joseph Health in College Station. "St. Joe's nurses organized our union to improve patient care and secure the safe working conditions that nurses and our patients deserve. Today, we are united and ready to bargain a strong contract that protects safe staffing, strengthens workplace safety, and ensures the highest quality care for our patients and community."

Who: Nurses from St. Joseph Health
What: Rally for safe staffing and workplace safety
When: Thursday, Feb. 19, 3-4 p.m.
Where: St. Joseph Health Regional Hospital, 2801 Franciscan Dr., Bryan, Texas

NNOC/NNU represents over 700 registered nurses who are part of St. Joseph Health, with hospitals in Bryan and College Station, and three critical access facilities: St. Joseph Health Burleson Hospital in Caldwell, St. Joseph Health Grimes Hospital in Navasota, and St. Joseph Health Madison Hospital in Madisonville. St. Joseph Health is part of CommonSpirit Health, where NNOC/NNU represents more 17,000 nurses at 33 facilities across the country.

National Nurses United is the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the United States with more than 225,000 members nationwide. NNU affiliates include California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, DC Nurses Association, Michigan Nurses Association, Minnesota Nurses Association, and New York State Nurses Association.