National Nurses United

A P R I L | M AY | J U N E 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 5 MICHIGAN M ichigan nurses Association (MNA) RNs held a powerful Covid-19 briefing with members of the Michigan congressional delegation in April to update them on con- ditions in hospitals as the state remained a hot spot in the pandemic. The nurses shared stories of rampant short staffing that hurts patient care, reuse of personal protective equipment that can endanger nurses, and lack of regular Covid- 19 testing to detect the virus. MNA President Jamie Brown, a critical care nurse who has taken care of Covid-19 patients since the start of the pandemic, talked about how University of Michigan athletes are getting tested daily but she has never been tested once. Other nurses talked about the moral dis- tress of being stretched too thin and watching too many patients die. "We're doing a disservice to our commu- nity," said Carie Babcock, RN, an MNA nurse at McLaren Lapeer Region Hospital. "Whether it is getting their teeth brushed or getting their oxygen in them to keep them alive, we're not giving people the care they deserve." Another nurse explained how she is still wearing a non-medical-grade respira- tor to take care of Covid patients, and even going between Covid and non-Covid rooms. "Hospital employers continue to neglect their duty to the health and safety of work- ers, placing nurses and other essential workers at high risk of infection and death," Brown said. "We need the federal government to bring real, tangible results to nurses at the hospital bedside, and we need it now." Congresswomen Rashida Tlaib (D- Detroit) and Debbie Dingell (D-Dearborn) were visibly moved by the nurses' stories, vow- ing to do whatever they could to help. They, along with Rep. Andy Levin (D-Bloomfield Township), wrote a letter to President Biden urging enactment of an Occupational Safety and Health Administration emergency tem- porary standard (ETS) to protect nurses. Shortly thereafter, Labor Secretary Marty Walsh announced a major step in move- ment of the ETS. While more work remains to be done, this progress is a testament to the power of nurses sharing their stories and engaging their elected officials. Meanwhile, MNA continues to provide opportunities for health professionals to build their power. A supermajority of ancil- lary staff at UPHS Marquette, a hospital in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, filed with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to have an election to form a union with the Michigan Nurses Association. Ancillary staff at Marquette would be joining the more than 300 nurses at UPHS Marquette who are MNA members. This is the third group of health care work- ers in the Upper Peninsula who have sought to form a union with the Michigan Nurses Association since the start of the pandemic. Nurses at Aspirus Keweenaw hospital and health care professionals at the Chippewa County Health Department both voted in recent months to form a union with MNA. "Nurses and health care professionals at UPHS Marquette will have a stronger voice when we are united together as a union," said Stephanie DePetro, RN, MNA vice president and president of the local bargaining unit of MNA nurses at UPHS Marquette. "The pan- demic has made it crystal clear that every frontline worker needs a collective voice. We look forward to welcoming the ancillary staff at Marquette into our union family once they win their election and vote union yes." MNA nurses also continued to speak out for safe staffing. In the days leading up to Nurses Week, MNA members held virtual lobbying visits with state legislators to help move MNA's bipartisan safe staffing legisla- tion, known as the Safe Patient Care Act. The bill package requires safe RN-to-patient ratios, limits on mandatory overtime, and transparency from hospitals about their staffing levels. In addition, MNA ran a comprehensive, interactive implicit bias continuing educa- tion program—one of the first in Michigan that meets all current guidelines for state licensure requirements. During Nurses Week, nurses offered sup- port to fellow nurses by providing a grief counseling workshop, as well as distributing union apparel and wellness gifts to further build solidarity. —Staff report Michigan RNs share powerful stories in congressional briefing

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