National Nurses United

NewsBriefs_NOV 12/10/10 11:26 AM Page 4 NEWS BRIEFS RN who has worked at Osceola for 21 years. "Sometimes it feels like I'm dreaming. I can hardly believe it." Ligad, who had worked at unionized hospitals in New York, said that he has always supported unionization because when nurses have more of a say at their workplace, patients get better care. The union will represent some 550 RNs at Osceola. Osceola was followed by Central Florida Regional Hospital in Sanford on Nov 22. Karyn Hayduk, a medicalsurgical RN there, said that chronic short staffing on the floors at her hospital is burning out her colleagues. "We decided we are all Counterclockwise from top left: RNs at Fawcett better off having the Memorial Hospital, Central Florida Regional union," said HayHospital, Osceola Regional Medical Center, duk. "It's excitingCommunity Hospital, and Oak Hill Hospital We're very excited rejoice after their winning vote counts. here in Florida. After we won, it was just tears of joy and is a stunning relief." About 300 RNs will be represented achievement for at Central Florida Regional. Florida nurses who, The next day, RNs at Community Hospiin just a matter of tal in New Port Richey also voted to months, have manjoin. "This is a great victory for nurses and aged to create a patients at Community Hospital," said Lydia strong base of Music, RN. "This brings us a step closer to unionized nurses realizing our vision of safe staffing ratios." who can now fight About 325 RNs will be represented. for patient care On Dec. 1, RNs at Fawcett Memorial Hosimprovements and pital in Port Charlotte voted by 62 percent in better working confavor of that facility's 250 nurses to unionize. ditions, wages, and And the next day, nurses at Largo Medical benefits. A common theme among all the Center in Largo voted by 69 percent to have RNs is a wish to secure safe RN-to-patient the 400 RNs there join NNOC-Florida/NNU. staffing laws in the Sunshine State. On Dec. 9, RNs at Oak Hill Hospital in "What a monumental day for nurses and Brooksville also voted to join their Florida patients in Florida," said Malinda Markowitz, colleagues. About 300 RNs will be repreRN, a national vice president of NNU and sented there. chair of NNU's HCA RN Council. "HCA RNs All of the Florida RNs are now electing are uniting across the country to win dramatrepresentatives and leaders at their facilities, ic gains for patients and nurses. We could not and will soon form bargaining councils to start be more proud of our Florida pioneers. " The registered nurses at Osceola Regional contract negotiations. This string of victories Medical Center in Kissimmee, near Orlando, brings the number of RNs newly organized by National Nurses United to almost 8,000 led the way on Nov. 15 by voting 354–30 to in places as varied as Texas, Missouri, Illinois, join. "We are very excited. Everybody's excitand Washington, D.C. —Staff report ed," said Vernon Ligad, an operating room Wave of RN Unionizing in Florida I FLORIDA n a remarkable display of how eager the country's registered nurses are to join a real movement for patient safety, a voice at work, and fair treatment, a total of more than 2,100 RNs at six HCAowned hospitals in Florida voted in November and December by overwhelming margins to unionize with the National Nurses Organizing Committee—Florida, an affiliate of National Nurses United. The wave of organizing victories, some spaced just days apart from one another, 4 N AT 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 NOVEMBER 2010

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