National Nurses United

J A N U A R Y | F E B R U A R Y | M A R C H 2 0 2 1 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 "Exceeding the staffing ratios has led to nurses unable to eat at times, get water or use the restroom, increased illnesses, and further perpetuates the staffing crisis," said Clarissa Simpson, an RN in the ICU unit at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital, before the state issued its new directive. "Nurses have too many patients, and are unable to pro- vide the best possible care based on their needs." In defense of safe staffing standards, nurses staged hundreds of direct actions inside and outside their hospitals, including a mass mobilization on Jan. 27; held statewide as well as hospital chain-wide press conferences for media; and sent almost 6,000 emails in protest to CDPH. "This win reinforces what we have learned over the decades in defending safe staffing standards against multiple attacks: Fighting back together works," said Triunfo- Cortez. "But we must continue to stay united and vigilant in protecting and enforcing the safe staffing standards we need to provide the kind of nursing care we know our patients deserve. Because we know this won't be the last time the industry tries to get rid of ratios." —Lucia Hwang MICHIGAN N urses at Aspirus Keweenaw Hospital in Laurium, Mich. began 2021 by showing their employer what it means to have power as a union. They were able to force the hospital to agree to pay nurses more than $7,000 worth in retroactive pay by holding manage- ment accountable for their anti-union tactics. RNs at Aspirus Keweenaw first began organizing their union in the summer as they sought to have a collective voice to keep nurses and patients safe. Aspirus Keweenaw executives delayed the election for months by appealing to the National Labor Relations Board in an attempt to make nurses vote in person rather than by mail-in ballot. This case ended up setting the standard nationally for determining when mail-in elections should occur. Then, once an election was ordered after months of delays, Aspirus executives told nurses that they would only be eligible for a Covid-19 incentive program if they voted the union down. Rather than suc- cumb to these scare tactics, nurses stayed union strong. Ballots were counted on Dec. 21 and nurses won their union by an over 2-1 margin. They then went on to chal- lenge the employer's tactics and win the incentive program alongside thousands in backpay. They are currently looking for- ward to negotiating their first contract. "We kept going despite the obstacles because we know how important it is to provide a safe and efficient environment for our patients," said Diane Stites, RN. "Now, we can voice our concerns and find solutions together to provide excellent, quality care for our patients and have a safe work environment for ourselves." Meanwhile, on the other side of Michi- gan's Upper Peninsula, nurses and health care professionals who work in the public division of the Chippewa County Public Health Department unanimously voted to form a union with the Michigan Nurses Association (MNA). "We know that we are able to accom- plish more by coming together as members of a strong union than we ever could alone," said Margaret Smith, RN. "We look forward to being able to better advocate for the health of our community now that we have a collective voice. That is the union difference." In 2020, MNA members also won 19 contracts—including at Michigan Medi- cine where nurses won contractual Covid-19 safety protections and at War Memorial, where a new bargaining team won an average of 6 percent raises in the first year. Additionally, MNA RNs advocated to raise standards for all nurses and health care professionals in Michigan—union and not-yet-union alike. By filing complaints with the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) against hospitals like Michigan Medicine, nurses were able to sound the alarm about the importance of having proper personal protective equipment (PPE) and win some of the strongest PPE protections in the country for Michigan RNs. "As nurses, we know that we are able to use our voice to advocate for our patients and for each other. We have power by being united together with RNs across Michigan and across the country. That is why MNA nurses have the strongest contracts in the state and are able to win gains to benefit everyone in our community. We are stronger together than we are alone," said Bret Kelly, a nurse at Michigan Medicine and MNA board member. —Staff report The CalCare program would be a truly transformative change to California's health care system. In addition to guaran- teeing health care to all Californians, it would save families and businesses thou- sands in annual health care costs by cutting out the bloat, waste, and inefficien- cies of our fragmented, for-profit insurance system. Californians overwhelmingly support the transition to a single-payer health care sys- tem: 57 percent of all Californians supported replacing private insurance with guaranteed coverage provided by the gov- ernment —even before the Covid-19 pandemic. "A single-payer health system represents the belief that health care is truly a human right," said Assemblymember Ash Kalra. "We will have a long fight ahead in fixing our broken system, but this bill will set us on a real path towards a single-payer system and affirms the policy that would save lives, decrease suffering, and improve public health in California." —Kari Jones As pandemic continues, Michigan nurses keep voting union yes Two new facilities have successfully unionized

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