2021 study by Dr. Linda Aiken showed that
if New York state had the same staffing
mandate as California at least 4,370 lives
would have been saved that year alone.
Earlier this month, 7,000 members of
New York State Nurses Association, an affil-
iate of NNU, captured national and
international headlines by striking for three
days over unacceptably poor levels of RN
staffing and the need for safe staffing stan-
dards. In September 2022, 15,000 members
of Minnesota Nurses Association, also an
affiliate of NNU, participated in the largest
private-sector strike in nursing history, ulti-
mately winning contracts that will give
nurses a say in how staffing levels are set for
the benefit of nurses and their patients.
—Michelle Morris
J A N U A R Y | F E B R U A R Y | M A R C H 2 0 2 3 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 9
