San Juan Regional nurses vote to join CWA, shifting local health landscape

Nurses at San Juan Regional Medical Center in Farmington voted decisively on Jan. 8, 2026 to form a union with Communication Workers of America District 7, a development with immediate implications for hospital staff, patient care and countywide health equity. The community-owned, nearly 200-bed Level III trauma center serves San Juan County residents and will now begin bargaining its first contract.

Organizing staff led the campaign with assistance from CWA Local 7076 Organizer Lindsay Morrone and CWA District 7 Senior Campaign Lead Milagro Padilla. The vote followed a difficult organizing period that included an intensified anti-union campaign coinciding with the recent government shutdown, creating uncertainty for frontline workers already strained by staffing shortages common in rural health systems.

Union recognition at San Juan Regional shifts power into collective bargaining at a hospital that functions as a primary emergency and inpatient resource for communities across the county. For patients, stronger nursing representation can influence staffing levels, retention and the quality of bedside care. For nurses, unionization offers a formal mechanism to negotiate wages, scheduling, workplace safety and resources that directly affect clinical outcomes and staff burnout.

Hospital officials and the newly organized nurses have signaled that bargaining and organizing work will continue beyond the main campus. The nursing group plans to campaign for elections at four smaller satellite clinics and to focus negotiations on a first contract that will define working conditions for many caregivers across the county’s health network.

The move also has broader policy and equity dimensions. San Juan County populations include a mix of rural communities and tribal nations that rely on the hospital for timely trauma and emergency services. A stable nursing workforce supported by a negotiated agreement can improve continuity of care for patients who may travel long distances for specialty or urgent services. At the same time, the bargaining process will test how a community-owned institution balances fiscal pressures with commitments to staff and community accountability.

Community members who depend on San Juan Regional should expect a period of negotiation and organization that may touch clinic operations and staffing patterns. Public participation in hospital board meetings and attention to contract priorities will shape outcomes that affect local health access.

The takeaway? Support for nurses can be a vote for more consistent care. Attend a board meeting, follow bargaining updates and ask how contract talks will protect staffing and patient services — community oversight matters when local hospitals change how care is delivered.