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4 NNOC 101 » What Are NNOC and NNU? MORE THAN 100 YEARS OF RN POWER X 1903 California Nurses Association (CNA) founded: one of the first professional RN organiza- tions in the United States. X 1905 CNA-sponsored legisla- tion results in the first RN licensure. X 1945 CNA first in the nation to represent nurses in collec- tive-bargaining agree- ments, with contracts at five San Francisco Bay Area hospitals establishing the 40-hour workweek, vacation, sick leave, health benefits, shift differentials, and 15 percent salary increase. X 1966 2,000 CNA RNs stage mass-resignation protest and win major gains: 40 percent pay increase, eight paid holidays, and time and a half for holidays worked. X 1969 CNA stages first strikes ever by a nurses asso- ciation in United States history when RNs from eight San Francisco Bay Area hospitals walk out. The strikes led to estab- lishment of Professional Practice Committees (PPC) and paid edu- cational leave in CNA contracts. X 1971 CNA contract language requires hospital-staffing systems based on patient acuity and nursing care, with staff RNs participating in staffing assessments. X 1974 Major strike by 4,400 RNs for 21 days, affecting 42 Northern California clinics and hospitals. RNs win: every other weekend off, hospital must share staffing and patient-clas- sification information with CNA, and RNs must be trained for specialty areas. X 1976 CNA-sponsored regula- tion establishes mandated RN-to-patient ratios in intensive care units in all California hospitals. X 1983 University of California medical center RNs vote to join CNA in an election covering 4,420 RNs — one of the single biggest organizing election victories ever for RNs. X 1993 Staff RN majority elected to CNA Board of Directors for the first time in CNA history on a platform pro- moting patient advocacy and challenging unsafe hospital restructuring. X 1995 CNA convention over- whelmingly votes to end ties with American Nurses Association (ANA). Adopts program to reallo- cate resources to organize RNs, strengthen contracts, confront hospital industry attack on RN jobs, and enact legislative and workplace protections. X 1996 CNA wins Department of Health Services, Title 22 changes strengthening RNs' ability to advocate for patients in California. Provisions include floating protections and require- ment that every patient be assessed by an RN at least once during a shift. X 1997–1998 7,500 CNA Kaiser Permanente RNs wage 18-month epic battle, including six strikes, with HMO giant, beating back major takeaways and making significant gains in staffing protections. X 1999 California passes first-in- the-nation law, sponsored by CNA, mandating minimum RN-to-patient ratios for all hospital units. CNA wins other major legislation, including whistle-blower protection for health care employees. X 2004 Ratio law implemented in all California acute-care hospitals. X 2005 National Nurses Organizing Committee (NNOC) is founded by CNA in response to an overwhelming demand by direct-care nurses outside of California. 1,800 RNs at Cook County Health and Hospitals Association in Chicago, Ill., vote to join NNOC. CNA/NNOC organizes RN Katrina relief effort, sending more than 300 nurse volunteers to 25 health care facilities. Following the disaster, the Registered Nurse Response Network (RNRN) is formed as a direct-care nurse disas- ter-relief group. CNA/NNOC House of Delegates overwhelmingly votes to seek affiliation with the AFL-CIO. X 2006 Maine State Nurses Association (MSNA) votes to join NNOC. X 2007 Saint Mary's RNs in Reno vote to become the first Nevada hospital to join NNOC, making it the largest RN organization in Catholic hospitals across the United States repre- senting direct-care nurses.