National Nurses United

"This is a huge victory for nurses across the country," said Deb- orah Burger, RN and RN, and a member of NNU's Council of Presidents. "Together we will have even more collective power to advance nursing and patient protections across the country. We really have the clout to bring many issues to the forefront. Health care executives and CEOs and the health insurance companies and big pharma should be terrified of it… because we have now joined forces, we're essentially unstoppable." "This is a great day for nurses in New York and across the coun- try," said Jean Ross, RN, also an NNU president. "I don't think you can overestimate the significance. NYSNA is already a powerhouse in its own right and has done such an amazing job representing nurses in New York. We are honored they have voted to join forces with us in building our national movement of nurses to fight for our profession, our patients, and the health of our communities." NYSNA First Vice President Dr. Judith Cutchin, RN of NYC Health+Hospitals/ Woodhull said, "Nurses throughout the country are rising up and demanding change. NNU is a trailblazing union that has a track record of winning respect for nurses and winning safe staffing ratios in California. Together, we will work to change policies and address important issues that affect nurses and our patients at the city, state, and national levels. This affiliation is going to really make a lot of difference for NYSNA." "This is really significant on the national level, the nurse labor movement level," said Patricia Kane, RN and executive director of NYSNA. "But also for me, it's really significant personally…I've been a member of NYSNA since 1986 and was really involved in the move- ment. When I joined NYSNA, we really weren't part of any national union, we were part of the American Nurses Association. And I was really part of a movement with a group of nurses to become part of the 14 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 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 2 NYSNA votes to join NNU This historic affiliation grows the national movement of nurses, advancing interests of patients, RNs. BY CHULEENAN SVETVILAS T he new york state Nurses Association (NYSNA) and National Nurses United (NNU) proudly announced in November that the New York nurses overwhelmingly voted to affiliate with NNU, to mutually grow and strengthen the power of nurses within the state and nationally to advocate for themselves and their patients. The vote came at NYSNA's annual convention, where elected leaders in every NYSNA-represented facility in the state come together to decide the strategic direction of the union. NYSNA's nearly 42,000 members will increase NNU's member- ship to nearly 225,000 nurses, and will also bring NYSNA into the AFL-CIO, of which NNU is already a member union. NYSNA, the oldest nurses association in the country and one of the most influen- tial nurses unions, will gain greater resources and capacity, particularly in the federal arena, by joining NNU. The two organizations are well aligned in their approaches to powerful representation on behalf of nurses and the profession, sup- porting efforts such as creating strong workplace standards to protect nurses from infectious diseases like Covid-19, establishing federal safe staffing laws, holding employers responsible for pre- venting workplace violence, and fighting for health care justice in our wider society. NYSNA President Nancy Hagans, RN said, "Covid-19 has shown that nurses nationwide face the same issues and challenges at work. There is strength in numbers and a NYSNA affiliation with NNU will strengthen our fight to protect nurses, our patients, and our communities. It's unifying us, making us stronger. We are thrilled that this affiliation connects us more closely to the national and international labor movement, which is essential to improving the lives of working people."

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