National Nurses United

electing lawmakers and presidents who will ally with and advance the interests of nurses and patients. And the best way to do that is for nurse members to contribute to and build the financial resources of NNU's federal political action committee (PAC), a key vehicle our union uses to back candidates for national office. The PAC's activ- ities are overseen by the NNU Executive Council and a board of frontline RNs, the NNU Fund for a Healthy America. "When you're at the local level, working through your PPC to make nursing stronger, or if you become a nurse rep, working to make sure that nurses' rights are protected, all of those jobs are in many respects dependent on federal labor and health laws and regulations," explained Burger. "So it's essential we have federal laws—and federal elected leaders—that back us up. It's all connected." Jean Ross, RN and also an NNU president, pointed out that with the advent of Covid, NNU's work and members have been elevated onto a national stage and are now constantly in the national spot- light. As the country's largest union and professional association of the country's most trusted profession, an unprecedented number of political candidates are flocking to us to ask for our endorsement and help in winning elections, and more and more Congressional leaders are being responsive to nurses' needs and demands. "This is how we show power at the national level," said Ross. "This is what we need to do to be taken seriously and how we back up our talk: by helping out the politicians who are trying to do the right thing, and to try to defeat those who aren't. We need to support those who support us to get in office and stay in office. We need to help them help us, and we cannot do that without money." Ross pointed out that the United States lacks federal regulations on safe RN-to- patient staffing ratios, preventing workplace violence among nurses and health care workers, and guaranteeing health care for all. These are problems that nurses and patients face nationally, and NNU has supported federal legislation to address these issues, but must win the support of members of Congress to pass. Burger noted that often, at the national level, it is just as critical to vote down bad legislation as it is to support good bills. "I don't think people understand that there's a lot of bad legislation out there," said Burger. "If you don't support or elect politicians who can fight that, then bad legislation gets passed and then everything you've done at the local level can be undone." For all these reasons and more, both Burger and Ross urge NNU RN members to contribute regularly to NNU's federal PAC and to get involved in campaign work at the federal level. Just as unionized nurses act collectively to achieve improvements it would be impos- sible to win individually, nurses are able to exert greater national influence when we pool our donations via the PAC. "The 2022 mid- term elections are going to be really important, and we really need nurses to step up," said Burger. "If we lose Congress, the nurses' agenda will hit a major roadblock. On the other hand, if we success- fully elect more members of Congress who support nurses and patients, we have a real opportunity to make even greater strides forward. All of this depends on maximum engagement by bedside nurses around the country in the elections and constant pressure on our elected officials to take the actions we need." O C T O B E R | N O V E M B E R | D E C E M B E R 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 23 PAC at the national level "We need to support those who support us to get in office and stay in office. We need to help them help us, and we cannot do that without money." How to start contributing to the NNU PAC Nurses can donate to the Nurses Fund for a Healthy America in two ways: payroll deduction or credit card. Payroll deductions are most reliable and preferred, so please check at the link below or with your labor rep if that option is available to you. Payroll deduction: bit.ly/NNU-FundHealthyAmerica-PD Credit card: https://www.nationalnursesunited.org/pac April 2019

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