Issue link: https://nnumagazine.uberflip.com/i/1046066
T he moment the Janus decision was announced, the same groups that shepherded the case up through the court system pounced on maximizing its impact. Groups such as My Pay, My Say; Educated Teachers Minnesota; and The Freedom Founda- tion sent mailers to public school teachers, hired canvassers to stand outside government buildings and approach employees about with- drawing union membership, and paid for national online advertis- ing enticing public workers to click and "opt out of your union." All this was, of course, no coincidence. But Janus was not the only event this year to attack the rights of public-sector workers. In May, President Trump issued those three executive orders. They basically gutted longstanding collective bar- gaining, union representation, and whistle-blower protections for federal workers, including NNU's VA nurses. The orders imposed rules such as limiting the duration of contract negotiations and radi- cally reducing the "official time" that members need to represent their coworkers, as well as deprive them of office space, a phone line, and computer to work. And in an Orwellian move, the order changed all references from "official time" to "taxpayer-funded union time" to give the impression that any such work was wasting public funds. "We see veteran patients who suffer from multiple chronic dis- eases such as diabetes, PTSD, and heart disease," said Beejay Richardson Robin, who works in the Washington, D.C. VA facility. "We demand the fullest union protections on the job. How else can we speak out for our patients without fear of retaliation? Our voices can mean the difference between life and death for our veterans." On July 25, VA nurses joined coworkers represented by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) in a protest rally in Washington, D.C. And more than 130 members of Congress opposed the orders in a July 9 letter to Trump. The orders were so overreaching that a U.S. District Court judge in Washington, D.C. on Aug. 25 blocked major portions of them. "When the Trump administration comes after the nurses and their unions, they come after our vets," said Bonnie Castillo, RN and executive director of NNU. "We cannot allow registered nurses to be stripped of their collective power, guaranteed through their union, which allows them to advocate fiercely for veterans." B right spots in the resistance have appeared however. In early August, voters in the state of Missouri rejected right-to-work legislation. And though, sadly, some public-sector unions have lost member- ship, unions that have been continuously organizing and educating its members, such as NNU, have so far seen few members disenroll. "Nurses, we are ready to stand firm. We're ready to stand strong," said Angela Walker, an operating room nurse at Cook County Health and Hospitals System's Stroger Hospital. "When new nurses come, I'm right there. I'm like, 'Okay. This is our union and I don't even want to hear that you don't want to sign this card.'" Falguni Dave, a fellow Stroger RN, agreed. "I think our hospital was the one to have everybody pretty much almost 100 percent sign their union cards," said Dave. "We believe that having a strong union keeps patients safe." Dahlia Tayag, an RN board member of California Nurses Associ- ation/National Nurses Organizing Committee who works at Univer- sity of California San Diego Medical Center, said that being in bargaining for a new contract, a two-year jumpstart on organizing due to Friedrichs, and NNU's proactive approach to member educa- tion has made all the difference in hardly any University of Califor- nia nurses dropping their membership. In fact, she told a story about a coworker who, historically, has been standoffish with the union suddenly asking how to join. "It was out of the blue. He asked one of the reps, 'How do I become a member?'" said Tayag, who said that the Janus decision actually forced this RN to acknowledge that, yes, the union provides tremendous value to his ability to work as a nurse and protect his patients. "It really surprised me." "The most important thing is we need to not stop organizing and talking to each member about the importance of membership," con- tinued Tayag. "Be vigilant. If you work in the private sector, don't take it for granted that this type of attack is not happening to you right now, because it will come." Indeed, in anticipation of Janus, NNU has been holding nurse leadership meetings across the country this past year, as well as gathering public-sector nurse leaders in particular to strategize about retaining and growing membership. A strong union presence at new employee orientations are a must, as are consistent walk- throughs, breakroom visits, new leadership development, and con- stant conversations to educate, educate, educate. For NNU nurses already working in right-to-work states, a Janus-type environment is nothing new. "We live it every day," said Marissa Lee, an RN and CNA/NNOC board member at Osceola Regional Medical Center in right-to-work Florida where paying dues is "optional." Her hospital enjoys a high union membership rate of more than 75 percent, accomplished largely through consistent organizing. "What works for me is constant contact with the nurses," said Lee. "I'm visible, I'm always visiting breakrooms, meeting with the nurses, asking them what's going on with their unit, with their lives, keeping them abreast of what's going on. It's about building close relationships. It's just communication." Public-sector nurses are already putting their learning into prac- tice. At Tri-City Medical Center in Oceanside, Calif., nurses are mobilizing themselves and community residents to retain services and stop the closure of 30 beds at two inpatient psychiatric facilities, a move that would have a devastating effect on mental health care in northern San Diego County. "My fear is that these patients will be discharged to the streets. We know without proper treatment, they will end up in jail, or victimized, or they can resort to self-harm, including suicide," said Phyllis Mason, a psychiatric RN at Tri-City. "It's heartbreaking. Everyone agrees there is a mental health epi- demic in this country, but no one is dealing with it." The nurses are, and will continue to fight for their patients, for workers, and for their communities. 12 N A T I O N A L N U R S E W W W . N A T I O N A L N U R S E S U N I T E D . O R G J U LY | A U G U S T | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 8 "While events right now are particularly dire, we also have a real opportunity here to galvanize our members, our allies, and the public to turn things around."