More than five years ago the 500 registered nurses at Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, Calif., began a drive to improve patient care and win fair treatment from hospital management by gaining a voice with the California Nurses Association/National Nurses United (CNA/NNU).

Last night they won their fight and overcame vociferous opposition by hospital management when they overwhelmingly voted to join CNA/NNU. Says RN Elizabeth Baker-Wade:

It’s a victory for nurses. It’s a victory for our community and patient care. It’s a victory for everybody in our community who’s  going to come to work here, to have surgery here, to recuperate here, they’re going to have excellent, improved patient care.

CNA/NNU Executive Director Rose Ann DeMoro praised the “courageous” Saint John’s nurses and noted the “excessive aggression toward the nurses for years for wanting to have rights to advocate for their patients, demonstrating why nurses need a union.”

Saint John’s RNs began meeting with CNA representatives a few years ago to discuss their concerns with the hospital administration over a host of issues, including adherence to California’s landmark safe RN staffing ratio law and substandard compensation and retirement plans for the nurses.

Says RN Donna Schonlaw:

I’ve been here for 22 and a half years. I was born in the old St. John’s. This was a “yes” vote for patients, for fair treatment, for what we’ve gone without for a long time. I’m happy.