CONCORD, Calif. (KRON) — Nurses at John Muir Behavioral Health Center have been in negotiations with hospital officials for almost two years over a contract that they say will ensure better recruitment and overall retention. Now they say they’ve had enough.

Over 70 Concord nurses plan to strike for 24 hours Wednesday to bring changes they say will benefit workers and patients.

They say that many nurses are leaving due to pay, benefits and safety concerns. They also want officials to improve patient safety and offer stronger staffing measures and better the training for nurses in the specialty units.

One nurse from the health centers chemical dependency unit put out a statement saying:

“Their understaffing is resulting in unsafe assignments, new nurses working without proper support or training, and experienced nurses regularly leaving for better benefits and conditions elsewhere.”

Hospital representatives said the strike was “disappointing given the current contract being offered,” in a statement.

Hospital officials said that the California Nurse’s Association (CNA) has not given any evidence or examples of unsafe nurse-to-patient assignments and that the wage and benefits proposals are designed to recruit and retain staff. Officials also said nurses receive six shifts of live orientation and five days of classroom orientation when they start work and that at no time during negotiations has CNA given evidence or examples of nurses who were not properly trained.

“We believe that we have a very fair offer on the table and continue to bargain in good faith. We encourage CNA leaders to do the same,” the hospital statement said.

Currently, there are 78 nurses from John Muir Behavior Health Center who are part of CNA and have been since February of 2021.

Wednesday’s strike is based off of discussions that have been happening since summer of 2021.