National Nurses United

NewsBriefs:Sept CX 10/27/09 11:52 AM Page 8 WRAP-UP REPORT Florida registered nurses in Florida have spent the past six months visiting legislators in their home districts and sharing stories they collected from colleagues in hospitals across the state to demonstrate the urgent need for a law mandating safe RN-to-patient ratios. All their hard work will soon pay off as they prepare to file the "Florida Hospital Patient Protection Act" for the 2010 legislative session. The process starts in October with local public hearings held by legislators in their districts. CNA/NNOC RNs will speak at those hearings to advocate for patients. "In Florida, w e no w ha ve a v ehicle for safe staffing ratios, as well as a tool to engage our nurse colleagues," said Sonia Roper, an RN from Broward County. Maine nurses at Houlton Regional Hospital are the first in the state to successfully use contract language requiring appropriate training for all new technology. The chief steward filed a grievance demanding proper training on behalf of all nurses at the facility after the hospital introduced new epidural pumps. RNs required to use the new pumps felt they were running into problems because they had not received adequate training and education. In response to the grievance, management has pulled the new pumps. Nurses will not be required to use them until further training is provided. Technology language is in place in all MSNA/NNOC hospital contracts. Ohio registered nurses with Ohio's delegation to the CNA/NNOC national convention in San Francisco were overwhelmed by the spirit of unity and excitement they experienced. Reports about the convention are being organized in Cleveland and Dayton. Another result of the convention: a new Ohio Metropolitan Committee in Columbus. Ohio RN s ha ve been working since May to nail down the support of Ohio's U.S. senators for the National Nursing Reform and Patient AdOhio RNs meet with vocacy Act, a CNA/ U.S. Senate candidate NNOC -sponsored and Ohio Lt. Gov federal bill authored Lee Fisher 8 REGISTERED NURSE Wilkes-Barre RNs rally for a fair contract. lives, save money, and retain nurses. Pennsylvania's patients deserv e the same safety guarantees that they have in California; it works there, and it can work here." by Sen. Barbara Boxer. Candidates for Ohio's soon-to-be-vacant Senate seat have been interviewed by nurses and both candidates so far have committed to supporting nurse -topatient ratio legislation, should they be elected. Pennsylvania registered nurses at Wilkes-Barre General Hospital have been waging a major public campaign for their first contract with the new owner of their hospital, Community Health Systems (CHS). CHS, a for-profit chain based in Tennessee, bought WilkesBarre General, a formerly nonprofit hospital, last April. Since then, the new owner has left nursing positions unfilled, creating unsafe staffing conditions and are taking an antinurse, anti-union posture in bargaining. While CHS o wns 10 other hospitals in Pennsylvania, Wilkes-Barre General Hospital is the largest. CHS seeks to erode the standards established by the nurses and their union and seems to hope that it can eliminate the union entirely. In response, nurses have gathered 8,000 community member signatures on a petition addressed to CEO Wayne Smith that asks CHS to "put patients before profits." The nurses have also led numerous informational pickets. "So far in our negotiations, CHS has not demonstrated the same kind of commitment to our patients, and we will fight until they do," said Carmen Attanasio, RN. In other Pennsylvania news, RNs move one step closer to state ratios. PASNAP/CNA/NNOC nurses circulated a petition to constituents of state Sen. Ted Erickson, head of the state Senate' s Public Health and Welfare Committee, to support safe-staffing legislation and hold hearings on the RN-to-patient ratio bill. In a meeting at which nurses delivered the petition, Erickson committed to hold hearings this fall. "We are cautiously optimistic about the progress we are making on safe staffing legislation in Pennsylvania," said Patricia Eakin, RN, president of PASNAP and CNA/NNOC board member. "But we know how hard the hospital industry will fight. We have a lot of work to do, but with this hearing, we can let our senators know that the facts: Ratios save W W W. C A L N U R S E S . O R G Texas as patient advocates, duty demands that nurses monitor the effect that Texas' new RN staffing law, SB 476, will have on patient care. Texas RNs with CNA/NNOC fought for and won the specific language requiring that hospital staffing committees consist of at least 60 percent bedside, direct-care RNs. Nurses across the state ha ve tak en a variety of actions to ensure that the law is carried out as intended. In Corpus Christi, RNs at the Christus Spohn Catholic hospital system cir cu- CNA/NNOC Christus lated and gather ed Catholic Hospital petitions to garner nurses show solidarity the support of their at the CNA/NNOC peers to serve on the national convention committees. In S an held Sept. 7–10 in Antonio at University San Francisco. The Health S ystem, the Catholic divisional county hospital and meeting proved health system, nurses both powerful and ensured that the cre- informational as ation of the committee attendees asked was in line with the questions and pledged law by ensuring staff to returned to their nurses had a say in the home states to organselection of commit- ize the unorganized. tee members. In Houston, CNA/NNOC nurses sit on the Harris County Hospital District's staffing committee and nurses in other H ouston facilities are seeking their peers' support to serve on committees through petitions of endorsement. In Fort Worth, a CNA/NNOC nurse caucus meets to ensure its concerns are addressed at JPS, the county hospital, staffing committee meetings. In the Valley, CNA/NNOC nurses ha ve a v oice on the staffing committee at V alley Baptist Hospital. Registered nurses are also meeting with Texas legislators to apprise and brief them on how hospitals are responding to the new law. —staff report SEPTEMBER 2009

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