Issue link: https://nnumagazine.uberflip.com/i/1542603
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA R ns with district of Columbia Nurses Association have been steadily organizing and bargaining over the fall and winter. DCNA has met with District of Columbia officials on several occasions to discuss rep- resentation of District school nurses. On Nov. 6, DCNA representatives met with DC Department of Health human resources staff, who are claiming that school nurses are not eligible for union representation because they are supervisors. DCNA dis- agrees with this position and will file a petition with the DC Public Employee Rela- tions Board to add DC school RNs to the bargaining unit encompassing all nurses working in the DC government (with the exception of nurses employed at the Depart- ment of Behavioral Health). Meanwhile, nurses at other area hospitals have been renegotiating contracts. Nurses at George Washington University Hospital, which is owned by Universal Health Serv- ices, had bargaining sessions in November, presenting management with multiple pro- posals regarding health coverage, education, and compensation. The employer has not yet responded with proposals. Nurses at Howard University Hospital (HUH) also reached a tentative agreement with management on a new contract and, as of press time, will be voting on ratification in mid December. —Staff report DC nurses busy organizing and bargaining MAINE R egistered nurses at Houlton Regional Hospital (HRH) in Houl- ton, Maine, held a two-day strike on Nov. 18 and 19 to protest man- agement's refusal to address their deep concerns about staffing and patient care. HRH nurses have been negotiating for over a year for a new contract. The previous con- tract expired on Nov. 30, 2024. Maine State Nurses Association/National Nurses Organ- izing Committee (MSNA/NNOC) represents 55 nurses at the hospital. Short staffing in the emergency depart- ment (ED) has been an ongoing issue, particularly during the night shift. Nurses say patients are often housed in hallway beds due to the lack of available inpatient beds and the severity of their conditions. Nurses also say the closure of the hospi- tal's maternal services is putting patient safety at risk. Since July, the hospital no longer provides labor and delivery or post- partum services, so ED nurses have to stabilize pregnant patients for transport elsewhere and to deliver babies in the emer- gency room. "This is a close community; our patients are our neighbors," said Tenille Nason, RN in the emergency department. "We have seen over the last five years the emergency department consistently filled with sicker patients. To provide optimal, timely care, sicker patients require additional staffing, but staffing has not changed. We need to do better for our community." Despite noting that HRH nurses are among the lowest paid in the county, HRH's CEO has refused to address the impact on retention and patient care. Studies show that when RNs are forced to care for too many patients at one time, patients are at higher risk of preventable medical errors, avoidable complications, falls and injuries, pressure sores, increased length of hospital stay, higher numbers of hospital readmis- sions, and death. "For the past several years, hospital man- agement has consistently relied on travel nurses to help staff the hospital," said Michael MacArthur, RN in the emergency department. "We need to retain our experi- enced nurses who live in the area. We get plenty of nurses to come, but they leave. We need a strong contract that protects us and our patients and attracts and retains excel- lent nurses." —Chuleenan Svetvilas Houlton nurses strike for safe staffing 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 5 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 11