National Nurses United

National Nurse magazine January-February-March 2020

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J A N U A R Y | F E B R U A R Y | M A R C H 2 0 2 0 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 7 NATIONAL N urses topped Gallup's 2019 annual ranking of how Americans view 22 major professions with 85 percent of the public, four in five Americans, rating their honesty and ethical standards as "high" or "very high." Nurses have ranked first for 18 consecutive years and every year except for one since 1999 when Gallup started to survey public opinion on the honesty and ethical standards of various occupations. "We are honored by this poll and what it reflects: that our patients, their families, and the public know that they can trust and count on nurses to stand up for them. This year's results have special meaning for us as we move into 2020, which the World Health Organiza- tion has declared the 'Year of the Nurse and Midwife,'" said National Nurses United Execu- tive Director, Bonnie Castillo, RN. "With people and the planet under siege like never before, the public knows they can depend on nurses to use our collective power to advocate for our patients and the broader conditions that support health, justice, and dignity for all people, especially the most vulnerable among us," said Castillo. "As nurses, we know that to defend our patients and realize our vision for a better world, our advocacy must encompass union organizing and legislative action. Our efforts in both of these areas have been very fruitful this year," said NNU President Zenei Cortez, RN. —Martha Wallner Nurses again ranked most trusted profession For the 18th year in a row, nurses top Gallup's poll GA 0 2 L OL P P U L L A 0 2 0 MISSOURI O n jan. 31, registered nurses at Research Psychiatric Center (RPC) in Kansas City voted to join National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU). With this vote, the nurses join their 750 RN colleagues at Research Medical Center (RMC) who have been members of NNOC since 2010. RMC is an HCA Midwest Health hospital. NNOC will represent some 70 RNs at RPC. "Nurses deserve a voice in our facility because we are the ones at the bedside and we know what our patients need," said Yolanda Morrison, an RN at RPC. "Joining the union means that we will have a say in patient care decisions." Nurses at Research Medical Center were glad to welcome the RPC nurses. "We are so happy our RN colleagues at RPC will be joining us at RMC as members of NNOC, along with thousands of union nurses across the country," said Cheryl Rodarmel, an RN at Research Medical Center. "We stand arm in arm with RPC nurses." Key issues for the RNs in voting to join NNOC included the desire for a stronger collective voice on patient care issues, including advocacy for optimal staffing levels; workplace violence protections from assault, verbal abuse, and physical harm; and the establishment of a Professional Practice Committee of nurses to ensure nurses have a voice on patient care issues. The next step is for the RNs to elect a team of their colleagues to represent them in talks for their first collective bargaining agreement with hospital management. "Joining NNOC will make sure our patients get the best possible care," said Joe Crain, an RN at RPC. "By being part of a union, nurses will have the protection and tools we need to advocate for optimal staffing levels and resources we need to take care of our patients." —Staff report Research Psychiatric nurses join NNOC

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