Appalachian Regional Health nurses ratify new contract with strong measures to improve nurse retention

RNs' three-year contract ensures rural health care facilities remain open and safely staffed

Registered nurses at nine Appalachian Regional Healthcare (ARH) facilities across Kentucky and West Virginia voted overwhelmingly in favor of ratifying a new three-year contract as of Jan. 23, 2026, winning provisions to improve nurse recruitment and retention announced National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU).

"I am happy we were able to add language that guarantees every union nurse is getting a significant raise and 12 hours of holiday pay," said Rachel Park, operating room RN at Hazard ARH Regional Medical Center in Hazard, Ky. "This was a huge victory for our night shift nurses who had this benefit taken away in prior contract fights."

Highlights of the contract include:

• Wellness Days that allow nurses to take days off without penalty.
• Economic gains to help retain and recruit experienced nurses: wage increases for all nurses, including step increases and cost-of-living adjustments for each year of the agreement, with an average increase of nearly 10 percent over the life of the agreement and holiday pay for all nurses, regardless of shift.
• Preservation of layoff and seniority protections.
• No takeaways or concessions.

The new pact covers the period of May 1, 2026, to April 30, 2029.

"It's good that nurses now have two wellness days," said Lisa Salyer, medical-surgical RN at Morgan County ARH Hospital in West Liberty, Ky. "That's something we have wanted for some time to allow us time to take care of ourselves so we can be the best for our patients."

NNOC represents more than 700 nurses at nine ARH facilities.

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.