AUSTIN, Texas — After going on strike twice, registered nurses at Ascension Seton Medical Center will now see better pay, more staffing and additional benefits.
On March 5, the National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United shared the approval of a three-year union contract that will impact more than 1,000 RNs, effective immediately.
The contract offers a new range of improvements including: staffing, a professional practice committee that will work through patient concerns, better standards on health and safety, and a fair and transparent wage scale.
As for staffing, there must now be at least one RN for every two patients in intensive care, neonatal intensive care, labor and delivery units. Additionally, there will be one RN for every four emergency patients.
The Professional Practice Committee is a group of nurses across different departments in the hospital who will meet monthly to come up with solutions to any patient care issues that arise.
Additionally, RN pay will increase by an average of more than 11% during the three-year contract period, and as much as 25.9% for some depending on their years of experience.
Ascension released the following statement regarding the contract:
"We are pleased Ascension Seton Medical Center Austin registered nurses have ratified their initial RN contract. We have a contract in place that is collaborative, respectful of the diverse needs of our registered nurses, and that will create a solid foundation for a healthy and respectful working relationship.
"We thank our nurses for voting to accept this fair and equitable contract and are eager to move forward together as we continue to care for our community and put the patient at the center of all we do."
This contract didn't come easily though. It came after two full strikes this past year, many bargaining meetings, and even a bake sale to show the hospital that the nurses deserve better treatment.
"I think the nurses have a strong voice, and they used it," said Zetta Hackleman, a clinical nurse in perioperative services at Ascension Seton Medical Center Austin.
In June 2023, Ascension Seton nurses protested in Austin over what they called a staffing crisis amid union contract negotiations.
RELATED: Ascension nurses sell baked goods to raise money for supplies they say hospital won't provide
Other concerns the nurses had were related to cleanliness in the workplace and security measures. They also cited workplace violence internally and from patients.
"I've gone home and either cried in my car knowing that I could have done better, but I was not allowed to," said Monica Gonzalez, an Ascension Seton nurse ahead of their second one-day strike.
In December, nurses prepared for yet another strike as they pushed for safer working conditions.
"Nurses fought for our community and our community fought with us, and we are so grateful for the overwhelming support we received, including from our patients and allies in the labor movement," neonatal intensive care unit R.N. Kris Fuentes said.
Hackleman, a clinical nurse in perioperative services who has been with Ascension for over 40 years says she's relieved they finally have a contract that will help them serve their patients better.
"It gives us a working tool to be able to do that quality patient care that we've been needing for a long time at the bedside," Hackleman said.
This first-ever union contract will last until March 2027.
Nurses in Ascension facilities in Wichita, Kansas, and Baltimore are also attempting to organize union contracts. Soon, similar benefits might be possible for even more nurses.