National Nurses United

National Nurse Magazine September 2012

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NEWS BRIEFS 600 RNs in West Virginia and Ohio Unionize WEST VIRGINIA/OHIO O n aug. 30 and 31, some 600 registered nurses at three hospitals in West Virginia and Ohio voted to join the National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United, making them NNU���s most newly unionized RNs in those states. NNOC/NNU will represent 200 RNs at Bluefield Regional Medical Center in Bluefield, W. Va., 150 RNs at Greenbrier Valley Medical Center in Ronceverte, W.Va., and 250 RNs at Affinity Medical Center in Massillon, Ohio. All three facilities are owned by Community Health Systems, a hospital chain based in Brentwood, Tenn. RNs said they want a stronger voice, by acting together, to make improvements in patient care, working conditions, and From top: RNs celebrate election victories at Affinity Regional Medical Center in Massillon, Ohio; Greenbrier Valley Medical Center in Ronceverte, W. Va.; and Blueridge Regional Medical Center in Bluefield, W. Va. 4 N AT 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 economic standards for their patients, their colleagues, and their community. ���I���ve always had an interest in nurse representation pretty much my whole career,��� said Pam Gardner, an ICU RN at Affinity Medical Center with 21 years of nursing experience. She said that she joined the union because she learned over the years that one person speaking up tends to get ignored and no issues get resolved. Now, as a group, Gardner said, ���Everyone is excited about the opportunity that we have with NNU. We know it���s going to take a lot of work, but we���re looking forward to the future now.��� Tracey Paxton, a medical-surgical RN at Greenbrier Valley Medical Center, said that she and her colleagues wanted to organize to fight for better, safer staffing ratios. On her unit, RNs usually start with at least six patients and it���s not uncommon to be assigned seven or up to eight. In addition, the acuity of individual patients is often not taken into consideration. ���We really just felt like we could make a change and do better,��� said Paxton. ���With those numbers, it���s hard to give the care you���d like to give. It would be incredible what we could do with better working conditions.��� With these recent votes, NNU, since its founding in December 2009, has won representation for more than 13,000 RNs in 12 states. Overall, NNU now has some 180,000 members in all 50 states.�� At each of the newly represented hospitals, the next step for nurses will be to talk to their colleagues about issues they wish to address together in negotiating with management, elect a team of nurse negotiators, and begin working for a first NNU collective bargaining contract. ���Staff report SEPTEMBER 2012

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