California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee

California has the only legislatively mandated nurse-to-patient ratios in the country.[3] In December 2020, during the fall/winter COVID-19 pandemic surge, governor Gavin Newsom gave all hospitals a temporary waiver from those mandates, which allowed hospitals, for example, to have ICU nurses care for three patients rather than two.[3][4] The union protested against these waivers, saying that the staffing shortages are the fault of the hospitals, who should have anticipated the surge of cases and increased staff ahead of time.[3]^: 1[4]^: 1 The union also stated that they felt that this temporary measure would not be temporary, but that the pandemic would be used as a reason to permanently revoke the staffing ratio requirements.[3][4]^: 1 The expedited waivers ended February 2021, and the union claimed victory.[5]

A California Field Poll in April 2008 found that CNA has the highest favorable rating among all groups, politicians, and institutions involved in public policy debates over health care reform in the state.[6]

On May 9, 2008, the Public Broadcasting Service television show with Bill Moyers featured a segment on CNA/NNOC describing a campaign conducted by the organization saying all Americans should be entitled to the same level of care available to Vice President Dick Cheney and members of Congress.

The growing achievements of CNA and NNU received much national attention in 2010. A profile of CNA and DeMoro in Business Week, July 22, 2010, noted, "Under DeMoro, the union threw itself into the broader fight for patients' rights in the face of consolidation in hospital chains and insurers. The NNU simply takes that fight national, says DeMoro." The Washington Post, November 20, 2010 described "an aggressive strategy by a national nurses union, experts say: Its members are growing in numbers, and they have not been afraid to walk picket lines." The San Francisco Chronicle, in an article headlined, "Nurses union becomes potent political force," November 24, 2010, wrote, "The Oakland-based California Nurses Association has made its mark by delivering some powerful political punches with a combination of entertaining theater and savvy strategizing."

On February 18, 2009, CNA/NNOC announced that it is joining with two other nurses unions, the Massachusetts Nurses Association and the United American Nurses, to create a 150,000-member union. The organization is called National Nurses United[11] and is affiliated with the AFL–CIO. Deborah Burger, co-president of CNA/NNOC said that the new group is intended to give registered nurses a national voice and more organizing strength.[12]

On January 3, 2013, the CNA joined forces with the National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW) to form a new union, NUHW-CNA. Part of the motivation regarding the affiliation was the 2013 election for 43.000 Kaiser service and tech workers represented at the time by CNA rival, SEIU UHW. Despite CNA support, SEIU UHW won the election and the partnership between CNA and NUHW eventually ended.[13]