National Nurses United

NewsBriefs_OCT 11/29/11 10:11 PM Page 6 NEWS BRIEFS at the economic margins, it just felt right and I knew I had to be here with the nurses today." Warren was so taken with her visit that the next day, she contacted MNA in search of Shannon Sherman, a medical surgical RN at Cape Cod Hospital, whom she met in the ladies' room during her visit. The two had struck up a conversation about the economic crisis and its impact on Sherman and her community. Warren was so moved by the encounter that she asked Sherman to introduce her at her campaign kick-off event on Oct. 6. The same day as Warren's visit, more than 300 nurses boarded buses from the MNA convention and headed to the site of Occupy Boston. When the nurses arrived on site, they were greeted by a swarm of media. The profile of the event was heightened further by the appearance of noted civil rights activist and author Cornell West, who spoke Massachusetts RNs Hold Convention, Help Occupy Boston MASSACHUSETTS T he massachusetts Nurses Association held its annual convention and business meeting from Oct. 5-7, with the MNA/NNU Main Street Contract campaign as a major fixture in a number of events and activities, involving hundreds of nurses in education programs, demonstrations, and political events during the threeday gathering of nursing activists from across the commonwealth. A key highlight of the convention was an address to the nurses by Massachusetts senatorial candidate Elizabeth Warren. In September, MNA and NNU had taken the unprecedented step of endorsing her candidacy even before she officially announced she would run, precisely because Warren is a champion of working people's values and a nationally recognized advocate for regulation and reform of banking and Wall Street practices, the same practices nurses are fighting through our Main Street Contract campaign. Warren came to the convention to thank MNA nurses for their endorsement, and to ask for our help. 6 N AT I O N A L N U R S E "I am so thrilled by this endorsement because I have been working with nurses on healthcare issues for more than 15 years, but this fight and your fight is more than just about healthcare issues, it's about the question of America's future," Warren told the crowd. "Nurses get up every day, and they work for us every day and the idea that nurses would come to me and say I want to be part of your campaign, to go forward with a vision of a stronger America for ordinary families, for working class families, for middle-class families, for families working From top: MNA President Donna Kelly-Williams, RN at a rally with professor and civil rights activist Dr. Cornel West; Senatorial candidate Elizabeth Warren with Kelly-Williams at MNA's convention. 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 in support of MNA/NNU's Main Street initiative and our call for a tax on Wall Street. One of the highlights of the day was a march through Boston's financial district co-led by Occupy Boston organizers, MNA President Donna Kelly-Williams, RN, and Cornell West—all marching arm in arm and carrying NNU's ubiquitous "Heal America, Tax Wall Street" signs. The event was not only covered by all Boston-area media outlets, but was featured in news stories from coast to coast, lending nurses' credibility to the Occupy movement, and broadcasting our "Tax Wall Street" message to a national audience. The following day, at MNA's annual business meeting, the membership passed a resolution affirming the organization's support for the Main Street campaign, and pledging membership involvement in a number of activities over the coming year. As MNA President Kelly-Williams said at the Occupy Boston event, "Nurses are in this fight for the long haul. We will not be silent, we will not go away, we will do whatever we need to do to restore the promise of the American dream." —David Schildmeier O C TO B E R 2 0 1 1

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