Newly ratified contract providing nurses with improved patient load

Chief Nurse Representative and ICU Nurse at National Nurses United (NNU), Dominique Hamilton, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss the ratification of a new contract with St. Mary’s and St. Joseph’s Hospitals in Tucson, Ariz.

Hamilton found her way into nursing after witnessing a family member struggle with their health, and she wanted to find a way to help more people like her family member. Arizona is a so-called “Right to Work” state, and there are a lot of workers in the state with no union experience. In 2018, there was a lot of doubt surrounding the unionization of nurses at Hamilton’s hospital, but thankfully a majority of nurses helped educate and alleviate the doubt. While they successfully unionized, they still had to wait two years for the first contract, which was signed during the pandemic in 2020.

Recently, Hamilton and her fellow nurses at St. Mary’s and St. Joseph’s Hospitals faced their first negotiations for a contract renewal with their employer. It required a new level of education to prepare them for the tough bargaining and strategies they’d face. Thankfully, the nurses were well-prepared when negotiations began and had a list of contract demands. The new contract will ensure nurses can safely and effectively care for their patients, Hamilton said.

Nurses in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) face a variety of challenges unlike general nurses, and wildly unlike what you’d see on television, Hamilton said. There’s a range of experiences that ICU Nurses face, from the reward of someone getting healthy to the end-of-life care required for patients who will not recover. Before the contract, each ICU nurse was assigned more patients than they could care for at the highest level required for their illnesses. With the new contract, the nurses now have limits on patient loads, and can provide the best care possible and protect their patients, Hamilton said.

To hear more from Hamilton, please press play on the show above.