National Nurses United

SNA 2010_5 Page 6/23/10 7:27 PM Page 16 "We're the voice of not only nurses but patients across the country," Higgins said. "When we leave this room I want everyone to remember that. When it comes time to make decisions about healthcare and people say 'leave it to the experts,' tell them 'I am the expert.'" National Standards for RNs and Patients for many rns, the conference was the first time they'd had a chance to hear from their colleagues in other states about their efforts to protect their patients in an era of healthcare industry costcutting. A panel of nurse leaders painted a picture of a contentious work environment, with hospital management demanding the steepest concessions nurses have seen in decades, and RNs increasingly fighting back. Minnesota Nurses Association President Linda Hamilton, RN, reported from her state, where 12,000 nurses stood ready to strike over hospitals' contract proposals that include "31 takeaways and not one improvement in patient care." "Our nurses are fired up, patients are fired up, there's been a great response from politicians and we are ready to go," Hamilton said. Shawn Shuler, RN, brought news from Borgess Medical Center in Michigan, where poor staffing has led to an exodus of critical-care nurses, and management is demanding to convert most of the patient care standards in the nurses' contract to hospital policy that 16 N AT I O N A L N U R S E would be subject to change at any time. Shuler got a standing ovation when he told the audience: "I am tired of being told how to do my job by people who do not know how to do my job." To combat the challenges RNs face in such an environment, the assembly passed by a voice vote a resolution committing NNU to uphold national standards for patient care and nurse rights, including minimum nurse-to-patient staffing ratios and a ban on mandatory overtime, in all contracts. The resolution, which also says NNU will refuse to accept any takeaways such as layoffs or reductions in benefits, is a bold step at a time when many in the labor movement are giving in to employers' demands to tighten their belts. But it's a necessary response to profitable corporations who reward executives with bonuses while using the economic crisis as an excuse to shortchange nurses and patients, said NNU Executive Director Rose Ann DeMoro. "We've got to say something in a united way that tells employers it's a new day in America and RNs are going to stand up and not take it anymore," DeMoro said in introducing the resolution. Conference attendees also heard from colleagues involved in organizing drives in hospitals around the country. Wearing a straw hat and flanked by RNs from across the Lone Star State, Flores's fellow El Paso nurse Monica Sanchez took to the stage on the first day of the conference to thank NNU for being a "lifeline" for Texas nurs- 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 M AY 2 0 1 0

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