National Nurses United

WRAP-UP REPORT MAINE PHOTO: LISA JACKSON, RN HEALTH attention to Sutter's closure of St. Luke's neonatal intensive care unit by redefining it as a "special care nursery." The nursery can no longer accept babies who would previously have been admitted to its NICU. The hospital has also been retraining its NICU RNs to be able to do everything—labor and delivery, nursery, special care—in order to save money. "We're all in one big pot together," said Phyllis Sachs, RN. "That way they eliminate having to have two NICU nurses on the floor at all times." The elimination of units at St. Luke's is already closing off access to medical services for patients in the community. Meredith Kurpius, who lives in the western portion of San Francisco, had her first child Nolan at St. Luke's three years ago and is now pregnant with her second. She loved the care she received at St. Luke's with Nolan and would prefer to deliver her second child there, but will not be choosing St. Luke's this time around. "I'm afraid to deliver here in the event I need the NICU," said Kurpius, who is due in July. "It makes me sad because the nurses and doctors were so amazing." —staff report MARCH 2008 BANGOR, MAINE shop stewards, also known as chief nurse representatives, from across Maine gathered on Jan. 16 in Bangor for the first meeting of what would become a Stewards' Council. The 31 participants, ranging from stewards with several years' experience to those who had become stewards only weeks earlier, discussed strategies for a variety of issues, ranging from healthcare technology to single-payer healthcare. Chief among the concerns for most of the stewards was the plan for Eastern Maine Medical Center to implement a virtual ICU to aid remote and rural nurses throughout the state to monitor and care for borderline ICU patients. While the virtual ICU can assist and educate nurses in remote facilities and keep patients in their communities, the potential for dire abuse exists. Proponents of the virtual ICU envision two Bangor nurses monitoring up to 60 patients each, and the technology is designed to override nurses' judgment and decide when a patient's death can be categorized as an "acceptable loss." The meeting concluded with a real-time demonstration in the art of mobilization. RNs adjourned and reconvened at Democratic Congressman Mike Michaud's Bangor office, where they spoke to Michaud's chief aide about the importance of singlepayer healthcare for America. Michaud has not yet signed on with Rep. John Conyers' HR 676, the American single-payer bill. The newly formed Stewards' Council will meet quarterly in various Maine locations. The council will focus on recruiting and nurturing nurse leadership within Maine hospitals and maintaining educa- W W W. C A L N U R S E S . O R G tion and activism around workers' rights, patient advocacy, and political activism. The next meeting will take place April 16 in Millinocket. VENTURA, CALIFORNIA some 480 rns, PHNs, psych techs, and LVNs in Ventura County settled a new contract on Feb. 5 after a strong show of solidarity. Care providers in the bargaining unit were bolstered by a recent agency shop election and a petition to represent per diem RNs. Although management negotiators initially rejected all of the RNs' requests, nurses stood together and quickly forged several strategies to ensure their demands would be met. Managers were challenged by nurses, petitions were circulated, and RN attendance at negotiations soared. Most impressively, over 50 RNs attended a Ventura County Board meeting to express their dissatisfaction with the lack of respect they were being shown by the county. RNs were beginning preparations for an informational picket when an agreement was reached. The new contract provides several excellent tools for RNs to get more involved in patient and peer advocacy, including an all-RN professional practice committee, ratios contract language, rights to attend nursing orientation, and paid shop steward time. In addition to providing quality-of-life gains such as salary increases, longevity pay, and a floating differential, the contract also provides safe floating protections and gives care providers more access to their labor reps at the workplace. The new contract is good for two years. —erika larson REGISTERED NURSE 9

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