National Nurses United

NATIONAL NURSE,™ (USPS publication permit number 0807-560/ISSN 2153- 0386 print/ISSN 2153-0394 online) The Voice of National Nurses United, October- November-December 2019 (Volume 115/4) is published by National Nurses United, 155 Grand Avenue, Oakland, CA 94612- 2908. It provides news of or ganizational activities and reports on developments of concern to all registered nurses across the nation. It also carries general coverage and commen tary on matters of nursing prac- tice, community and public health, and healthcare policy. It is published quarterly, with combined issues in January-February- March (winter), April-May-June (spring), July-August-September (summer), and October-November-December (fall). Periodicals postage paid at Oakland, Cal- ifornia. POSTMASTER: send address changes to National Nurse, ™ 155 Grand Avenue, Oakland, CA 94612-2908. To send a media release or announce- ment, fax (510) 663-0629. National Nurse™ is carried on the NNU website at www.nationalnursesunited.org. For permission to reprint articles, write to Editorial Office. To subscribe, send $40 ($45 foreign) to Subscription Department. Please contact us with your story ideas They can be about practice or manage- ment trends you've observed, or simply something new you've encountered in the profession. They can be about one nurse, unit, or hospital, or about the wider landscape of healthcare policy from an RN's perspective. They can be humorous, or a matter of life and death. If you're a writer and would like to contribute an article, please let us know. You can reach us at nationalnurse@nationalnursesunited.org EXECUTIVE EDITOR Bonnie Castillo, RN EDITOR Lucia Hwang GRAPHIC DESIGN Jonathan Wieder COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR Sarah Cecile CONTRIBUTORS Rachel Berger, Barbara Brady, Kari Jones, Chuleenan Svetvilas, Martha Wallner PHOTOGRAPHY Jaclyn Higgs, Tad Keyes, Sarah Maple, Choppy Oshiro not gonna lie. Sometimes the years start to feel like they are blending into one another. Did we unionize that hospital last year or three years ago? When did the new OSHA rules go into effect? This year or last year? Oh! The year before that? Doesn't our contract expire next year? Oh, it's this year? But 2019 really stands out. We have to say this was a big year for the nurses of National Nurses United. This was the year we passed our first piece of federal legislation – a sig- nificant one preventing workplace violence – through the U.S. House of Representatives with bipartisan support! 2019 was also the year of Medicare for All, where our activism made possible not one, not two, not three, but four historic hearings on this seminal reform that would guaran- tee health care as a human right in this country. This was the year we connected even more deeply with nurses around the world and our common mission through our Global Nurses United conference and our CNA/NNOC Global Nurses Solidarity Assembly. This was a year of strong strike actions across the entire country by our nurses. This was the year that Registered Nurse Response Network nurses cared for asylum seekers on the border as well as the survivors of Hurricane Dorian. This was the year that we again endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders, this time for the 2020 presidential race. And we can't fail to mention that this was the year Chicago nurses came out in a big way for union recognition; nearly 1,100 RNs there have union- ized over this past year. Chi-town nurses are on fire! We hope organizing fever continues to spread! There's lots of other material to read in this issue. You can find our annual book reviews and items highlighting the many ways NNU members are on the move. As we close out this decade with a bang and jump head- first into the new one, we want to take a moment to thank all of you for what you do each day. We know all of you are juggling work, home, kids, parents, your activism, and all the other interests that make you, you. You are all amazing. Keep it up and step it up. The world needs us nurses more than ever. Deborah Burger, RN | Jean Ross, RN | Zenei Triunfo-Cortez, RN National Nurses United Presidents Letter from the NNU presidents Stay connected FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/NationalNurses TWITTER: @RNmagazine, @NationalNurses FLICKR: www.flickr.com/nationalnursesunited VIMEO: www.vimeo.com/NationalNursesUnited DIGITAL MAGAZINE: NationalNurseMagazine.org

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