National Nurses United

WRAP-UP REPORT California expanding the influence of the California Nurses Association over nursing statewide, two CNA RN leaders were appointed in May to the California Board of Registered Nursing, the regulatory body that governs, administers, sets policy for, and oversees discipline for nursing licenses and practice. Trande Phillips, a Kaiser Permanente pediatrics RN who serves as a CNA board member and NNU vice president, was named by Gov. Jerry Brown to represent a direct patient care position on the nine-member board. ���This is the opportunity of a lifetime to take my advocacy for nurses and patients to the highest level,��� said Phillips. ���We hold people to a very high level of skill and knowledge in this state and set the standards for nurses all over the country.��� Michael Jackson, a University of San Diego Medical Center emergency room charge RN and a nursing instructor at Southwestern College, was named also by Brown to represent an educator position. ���I���d like to leave the board better than we found it,��� said Jackson about what he hopes to accomplish during his four-year term. ���I see myself as a watchdog for the public and for nurses��� practice.��� International in april, Jean Ross, Minnesota RN and a member of the NNU Council of Presidents, along with Bonnie Castillo, director of the Registered Nurse Response Network (RNRN) project, traveled to Haiti for a Public Services International (PSI) conference. While there, they had the chance to tour various program sites run by J/P HRO, a relief organization cofounded by actor and activist Sean Penn that has established itself as a long-term resource for rebuilding the island nation, which was devastated by a 7.0 earthquake in 2010. In addition to coordinating removal of about half of the country���s rubble, J/P HRO has started and operated at least two healthcare clinics that treat hundreds of people a 10 N AT I O N A L N U R S E day, schools for Haitian children, and is now building homes for the Haitian people. In short, the group is committed to helping the Haitian people rebuild their entire infrastructure. ���It was all very impressive,��� said Ross. ���It���s amazing how much they have accomplished.��� Ross said RNRN and J/P HRO are also exploring opportunities for collaboration between American and Haitian nurses. For more information about J/P HRO and how to donate, visit www.jphro.org. NNU RNs helped launch the U.S. campaign for a Robin Hood Tax on June 19 by protesting in front of JPMorgan Chase branches in 15 cities across the nation. From left: RNs in the Bay Area; RNs in Minnesota; RNs in Texas; RNs in Washington, D.C. National on june 19, National Nurses United and other supporting groups formally launched the U.S. campaign for a Robin Hood Tax by holding protests in 15 major cities across the country in front of JPMorgan Chase financial institutions and unveiling the U.S. Robin Hood Tax website at RobinHoodTax.org. Celebrities such as actor Mark Ruffalo and Nobel Laureate economist Joseph Stiglitz are in favor of the financial transaction tax, which would be a small tax of 50 cents for every $100 of Wall Street trading. Experts estimate it could raise as much as $350 billion per year for healthcare, education, the environment, and jobs. ���This small sales tax on stock trades could raise billions of dollars in the United States and help people on Main Street who are struggling to have access to healthcare, good jobs, and affordable housing,��� said Lucia Adams, an RN at Las Palmas Medical Center in El Paso, Texas.�����As nurses, we see the pain felt in our community and our patients, who share stories with us about their everyday struggles and how the economy has devastated their lives.�� Today is a chance for nurses to share our message 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 of the Robin Hood tax so that we can help to turn the crisis around.��� Veterans Affairs nnu-va recently completed contract negotiations for its first-ever national contract covering VA nurses at the 22 facilities represented by NNU-VA. Nurses are now in the process of ratifying the contract and the VA secretary approval process.��Once this process is complete, RN leaders plan to hold trainings on the new contract for the nurses. See the next issue for a full report on the new NNU-VA contract. In other VA news, Lexington NNU-VA Director Barbara Devers, RN filed and prevailed on a grievance over mandatory overtime, chalking up another win in the NNU column on the issue. A few months ago, VA nurses in Buffalo also scored a win against mandatory overtime. ���We will continue to enforce the laws around mandatory OT for the protection of our nurses and the veterans we serve,��� said Irma Westmoreland, RN and president of the NNU-VA council. Lastly, six NNU-VA RNs are currently providing training at different sites around the country about Title 38, Section 7422, which limits the collective bargaining rights of VA registered nurses. Sadie Hughes Young, RN will be training in Denver, Colo.; Ruby Rose Hutchinson, RN will be training in Atlanta, Ga.; Rhonda RisnerHanos, RN will be training in Chicago, Ill.; Jeanelle Foree, RN will be training in Bronx, NY and Buffalo, NY; Odell Anderson, RN will be training in Cincinnati, Ohio; and Eula Rouland, RN will be training in Washington, D.C. These nurses, along with our NNU labor representatives, completed specialized training in this topic and will be sharing their knowledge with others. The VA secretary has issued new guidance on the subject and these nurses will be part of the teams that are training all leadership staff I in VA and the union. They are to be commended for their willingness to come forward and provide this training. ���Staff report JUNE 2012

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