National Nurses United

and alcoholism were rampant among a very small segment of the population. Nowadays, she says, cocaine has fallen out of favor for more cheaply produced methamphetamines. Donahue moved on to St. Joseph's Hospital in Eureka, where she had been for quite some time when nurses began to agitate for change. "The situation had been deteriorating for about 15 years," she says. "Staffing was awful, and they just got rid of nursing education altogether—everything was spiraling downhill. A group of us had been talking about unionizing for a couple of years." They were spurred to action when a nearby general hospital, which had filed to be represented by CNA, was acquired in a merger by St. Joseph's. "We were all together all of a sudden, so we decided to form a steering committee." For some time, the steering committee meet in churches and halls, bringing a basket for donations. Then St. Joseph's acquired Petaluma Valley Hospital, which had just recently organized with CNA. The steering committee suddenly had colleagues in the St. Joseph's system who were organized. "We began having weekly conference calls with [Petaluma Chief Nurse Representative] Kitty Brown to learn about organizing. We called it our unity campaign." When the St. Joseph's nurses had their majority, they called CNA for an election. It proved to be a uniquely challenging campaign. At the time, St. Joseph's Eureka was the furthest facility in CNA's network, and there were concerns about how to effectively provide support to such a remote location. The nurses also faced a union-busting campaign when management invited the Burke Group to the facility. "I said to the head of the hospital, 'You must have spent a million dollars on this campaign,'" Donahue recalls. "He replied, 'Oh no, only $600,000.'" Donahue's unity campaign members were undeterred, however, and because of their groundwork organizing their peers, the election was not only remarkably fast, but overwhelmingly in favor. "It was the largest vote in favor that CNA had ever received at that point." Donahue succinctly and modestly wraps up the story of how she ended up in CNA/NNOC's nurse leadership: "And then I ended up being on the board, and liking it… a lot!" Although she remained—and thrived—in the nursing field after all, Donahue still pursues her passion for music through teaching at a local elementary school. She teaches keyboard and guitar, and is capable of playing all common instruments to a primary level. Her two daughters have followed in their mom's footsteps: her eldest will soon graduate from San Francisco State University with a degree in music, and her youngest has combined a love of animals with a therapeutic predilection by providing equestrian therapy to disabled children. Expanding on why she first became interested (and still enjoys being active) in CNA/NNOC, Donahue says, "the main focus of the APRIL 2008 organization is protecting nursing practice and patient safety. CNA/NNOC represents the nurses so they can take care of patients. The biggest driving factor for me is protecting nursing practice. It's great to have a voice when you see things that are wrong, and to have to power to get the hospital to stop, recognize, and address problems." Being part of a small and isolated community has bolstered Donahue's resolve to act in the best interests of her colleagues and patients. "Unless you're flown or transferred out to Redding, Santa Rosa, or Medford [Oregon], St. Joseph's is the only game in town. If the weather's bad or the roads are closed, you're stuck in Eureka," she explains. Her small-town sense of community and perseverance clearly guides her in fighting for nurses' and patients' rights, and certainly explains why she is a modern-day renaissance woman. "People can't expect the union or the labor rep to fix everything and go away," she says. "People need to understand that they are the union. Each one of us is a little piece of the union." I Erika Larson is associate editor of Registered Nurse. Profile W W W. C A L N U R S E S . O R G Name: Kathryn Donahue Facility: St. Joseph's Hospital, Eureka Unit: ICU/CCU Nursing for: 31 years On CNA/NNOC Board since: 2005 Sign: Libra Nursing Pet Peeve: Nurses who complain but do not actively participate in finding a positive solution to nursing practice issues, including patient safety Favorite work snack: Apple and hard chevre cheese Color of favorite scrubs: Moss green Favorite hobby: Anything outdoors: hiking, gardening, and travel Currently reading: Naomi Klein's The Shock Doctrine Special talent unrelated to nursing: Music REGISTERED NURSE 23

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