National Nurses United

O C T O B E R | N O V E M B E R | D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 8 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 N A T I O N A L N U R S E 15 T here's no doubt these are challenging times, in our facil- ities, our communities, and in the nation at large. It's impor- tant to stop and take a look back at all the ways in which no one is rising to that challenge more stead- fastly, and with more positive results for public health and safety, than nurses. As we approach the end of 2018, you can all be so proud of what you've accomplished. Nurses don't just talk about rising above challenges to fight for a healthier, safer world. We walk the walk, every day. Let's celebrate all we've achieved in 2018, including: Organizing new facilities at a time when unions are increasingly under attack, NNU nurses are continuing to grow in numbers. This year, we welcomed thousands of new union sisters and brothers into NNU. A big welcome to RNs at Stanford Valley- Care Medical Center in Livermore/Dublin, Calif.; St. Joseph and St. Mary's Hospitals in Tuscon, Ariz.; Methodist Hospital of Southern California in Arcadia, Calif.; cancer center RNs at Rice Memorial Hospital in Willmar, Minn., and an additional 350 RNs at the University of Chicago Medical Center (UCMC), who joined the 1,800 other UCMC nurses who were already part of NNOC/NNU. No matter where we are in the country, our fights are united, and each individual victory is a win for us all. Union nurse power! Winning strong contracts 2018 was an especially significant year for NNU RNs who settled their very first contract, at facilities such as LakeWood Medical Center in Baudette, Minn.; Emanuel Medical Center in Turlock, Calif.; Shasta Regional Medical Center in Redding, Calif.; and West Anaheim Medical Center in Anaheim, Calif. NNU nurses also had success all across the country, from the West Coast, where CNA nurses settled contracts for 19,000 Kaiser nurses and 14,000 University of Cali- fornia nurses, to the Midwest, where MNA nurses in Marshalltown, Iowa stood strong through their facility's bankruptcy filing and eventual change in ownership, to win a strong contract with new employer Unity Point, securing past service credit to carry over, in terms of seniority and benefits. And on the East Coast, D.C. Nurses Association's victories included a contract settlement with Howard University Hospital covering 400 nurses, dietitians, pharmacists, and social workers, and a compensation agreement for nurses in the Department of Behavioral Health and D.C. government agencies. Other big contract wins include NNOC registered nurses at HCA-affiliated hospitals in Florida, Missouri, Kansas, Texas, and Nevada accomplishing some truly epic coor- dinated bargaining to win a pact covering more than 7,000 RNs at 17 hospitals. NNOC nurses at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) also ratified a new three-year contract, covering more than 11,000 nurses at 23 hospitals, and are now standing up to protect their hard work from attack by an administration bent on priva- tizing the VA and eliminating nurses' hard- won contract gains. We will stand together, stronger than ever, for our veteran patients. To all the RNs who settled contracts this year: Your hard work will have long-lasting effects in 2019 and beyond! Building nationwide solidarity nurse power was on full display at the 2018 NNU convention in Minneapolis, where RN leaders from across the country came togeth- er to advance resolutions protecting RNs and patients. You can read more about the convention in this issue, and also hear about Minnesota RNs' inspiring legislative work (including Erin Murphy, whose people's campaign for governor of Minnesota elevated the issues nurses care about most.) In D.C., there was also a beautiful show of solidarity, as nurses joined forces with the D.C. Teachers' Union to push back on a Washington Department of Health plan to reduce the number of nurses in public and charter schools. Nurses fought, along with the community, for legislation that would actually increase the number of nurses. They won that fight! Advancing workplace violence protections, ratios nnu nurses across the United States have been campaigning tirelessly in 2018 for our NNU-sponsored safe staffing ratios bills: S. 1063 (Brown) in the Senate, and H.R. 2392 (Schakowsky) in the House. The new, NNU- backed Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, H.R. 7141, was also introduced by Rep. Joe Courtney (CT-2) in November, and NNU nurses will keep fighting until this critical legislation is enacted. Supporting disaster victims with RNRN with climate-fueled disasters becoming more frequent and severe, we are more thankful than ever for our courageous RN Response Network (RNRN) volunteers, who travel into the heart of disaster. In 2018, that included deployments to Puerto Rico to help victims of Hurricane Maria, to Florida in the wake of Hurricane Michael, to Guatemala to help victims of the Volcan de Fuego eruption, to California's Camp Laurel (which provides hundreds of children living with HIV/AIDS an opportuni- ty to enjoy the outdoors), and to Butte Coun- ty, Calif. to help victims of the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California histo- ry. Our RNRN volunteers are truly heroes! This list, of course, couldn't possibly encom- pass all the good work nurses have done in 2018. So enjoy a look back at the big picture year in review, and also give yourself a round of applause for all the large or small gestures you make every single day for your patients. The biggest successes of our individual year may happen out of the public eye, but for those whose hands we hold, whose lives we save, whose families we know by first name, the work of registered nurses makes all the difference. And that's true every year. Bonnie Castillo, RN is executive director of National Nurses United. Bonnie Castillo, RN Executive Director, National Nurses United A Year of Power in Review Nobody rises to a challenge like nurses

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