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16 NNOC 101 » Organizing with NNOC ORGANIZING: HOW IT WORKS STEP 1 BUILDING A NURSE-TO-NURSE NETWORK The first step is to educate yourself and your col- leagues about NNOC and develop a network of RNs in every unit and shift who are interested in organiz- ing. Copies of NNOC 101 should be distributed to RNs on nonwork time, such as breaks. Identify unit issues and explain how they can be addressed with an NNOC contract. You will also make links with nurses on other units, which is the basis for building a professional organization in your facility. Informational meetings are a vital part of this beginning period. STEP 2 THE NNOC CARD When there is enough support, nurses will circulate NNOC authorization cards. Nurses should sign a card once they have had all their questions answered and have made a decision that they want NNOC represen- tation. Signing a card does not make you an NNOC member or commit you to pay dues. Your employer is not allowed to see the cards. STEP 3 THE ELECTION Once a strong majority of RNs has signed cards, they are given to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the federal agency that governs union elections, or other appropriate agency that conducts a formal election by secret ballot. Your employer does not know how you vote. NNOC representation begins once an election has been won by a simple majority. In some cases, voting may occur by a majority simply signing cards. STEP 4 BARGAINING YOUR FIRST CONTRACT Once you win an election, your employer can no longer change existing practices without bargaining with you first. Nurses win the best contracts when they are well organized, unified, and committed to strong participation in their negotiations. See page 14 for details. Every day more nurses organize to join the national nurses movement, meaning that we finally can speak with a unified voice. In the past, RNs were divided and susceptible to intimidation from hospital management. When RNs join together, it gives us protection for our patients and our profession. — Cokie Giles, RN CNA/NNOC President Eastern Maine Medical Center, Bangor, Maine " Organizing with NNOC »