MedStar nurses ratify new contract with strong measures to improve patient safety and nurse retention

Registered nurses at MedStar Washington Hospital in Washington, D.C. voted overwhelmingly in favor of ratifying a new three-year contract on January 31, winning protections to improve patient safety and nurse retention, announced National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU).

"This contract will help MedStar nurses as we seek to provide the highest quality of care to our patients," said Julia Truelove, RN. "I am so proud of the nurses who stood together as we fought so hard to get these improvements."

Highlights of the contract include:

• Improvements in workplace violence language including: additional security resources added, improved process for removing dangerous patients, and the addition of a RN to the hospital wide workplace violence committee.
• Brand new technology language that allows for bargaining for any new technology implemented.
• Bereavement leave for grandparents.
• Language that requires hospital staffing to ensure the nurses are immediately available for patient care.
• Wage increases of up to nearly 24 percent over the life of the contract.

The new pact covers the period March 2026 through February 2029.

While the nurses at MedStar are pleased to have reached a contract deal, there are ongoing disputes with MedStar over unresolved issues of wage theft. Currently, the DC Office of the Attorney General (OAG) is investigating nurses' allegations of systemic wage and hour violations. In a complaint filed on January 12, the nurses alleged that management falsified pay records, paid nurses the incorrect amount, failed to pay nurses on the correct date, and has let missed paychecks go unpaid for weeks. Additionally, the complaint outlines how management has created a hospital-wide culture that encourages and pressures staff to perform work "off the clock."

NNOC represents more than 2,200 nurses at MedStar Washington Hospital.

National Nurses United is the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the United States with nearly 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.