National Nurses United

o refuel during an extraordinarily difficult year, hundreds of nurses came together online Sept. 9–12, along with some incredible activists, artists, and allies, during the first-ever virtual convention for the Califor- nia Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee (CNA/NNOC). The convention, themed "Year of the Nurse," underscored how deeply our strug- gles are united, across states, and even around the world, as we amplify our union power to win change. "When federal and state governments collude with our employers and refuse to protect nurses and patients, we can only count on ourselves, united in a strong union to push back," empha- sized Malinda Markowitz, RN, who, along with Deborah Burger, RN, retired as beloved CNA/NNOC presidents at this convention. Fortunately, they both vowed to remain our sisters in the fight for many years to come, and Burger will remain a president of National Nurses United. "When there's nurse unity, there's power," said CNA/NNOC board member Marissa Lee, RN, of Osceola Regional Medical Center in Kissimmee, Fla., at a panel on building a powerful RN union. Our colleagues from Global Nurses United agreed, with Andrea Bottega, national secretary of Italy's NurSIND union, stress- ing that "only by having solidarity can we think of defeating [Covid-19]." Nurses and panel guests also emphasized how union solidarity advances racial and gender justice. CNA/NNOC President Zenei Cortez, RN pointed out that "women and workers of color make up a disproportionate share of the caring and service sectors. The risks we face on the front lines of this pandemic, from the lack of PPE to the lack of health insurance, are just the latest chapter in the long story of society devaluing our work." "Workers who are fighting to join a union, or who are already part of a union, are freed up to make stronger demands on the bosses and to build that power that's so important for people of color," said Cathy Kennedy, RN, of Kaiser Permanente Roseville Medical Center, who was seated as a new CNA/NNOC president during the convention. "It was an honor to be joined in our discussions by some of the lead- ing thinkers and movement builders of our time." "Nurses are in a very critical location at this moment, at this con- juncture of the pandemic and the awareness of the structural 24 N A T 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 J U LY | A U G U S T | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 0 An Unconventi The 2020 CNA/NNOC convention was virtual, but the

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