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NewsBriefs PENNSYLVANIA NURSES BOOST CNA/NNOC'S RANKS TO 80,000 he pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals (PASNAP) proudly announced in January their affiliation with CNA/ NNOC. The two organizations share similar goals in patient advocacy, nurse protection, and healthcare reform, and it is hoped that their collective resources can bring powerful strength to the national nurses' agenda. Both organizations held a joint press conference on Jan. 10 to announce the affiliation and field questions from media. "We are thrilled to welcome the PASNAP RNs to our organization," said Zenei Triunfo-Cortez, RN, a member of the CNA/NNOC Council of Presidents, who also noted CNA/NNOC's eight-year history of working together with PASNAP and the shared values that both organizations hold in common. "Their primary agenda is about making sure that nurses have the staff they need, that patients are not injured, and that nurses don't burn out and leave the profession." Indeed, in addition to providing strong support for HR 676, the national singlepayer bill, PASNAP nurses are organizing around nurse-to-patient ratios. HB 171, the Pennsylvania ratios bill, is sponsored by Rep. Tim Solobay and represents significant professional improvements to many Pennsylvania nurses. "There is a large body of scientific evidence, as well as unlimited anecdotal evidence, that California's safe staffing bill has T 4 REGISTERED NURSE helped reverse the nursing shortage in California," said PASNAP President Patrcia Eakin, RN. "What has been won in California should be won in Pennsylvania and nationwide for the sake of patient care." Another rallying point in the Keystone State is the campaign to end mandatory overtime. In late January, PASNAP nurses congregated at the state capitol in Harrisburg to show support for House Bill 834, the Prohibition of Excessive Overtime for Nurses Act. The bill is currently pending before the Committee on Labor Relations. PASNAP was created in May 2000, when nurse delegates voted to separate from the teachers' union, the Pennsylvania State Education Association, of which they were a subsidiary. Before PSEA, the nurses were a part of the Pennsylvania Nurses Association. CNA/ NNOC has worked in cooperation with PASNAP on important nursing issues since its creation eight years ago. What the affiliation means for members of both unions are opportunities for a greater depth of resources and a reinforced community among nurse activists. "By joining forces with CNA and the National Nurses Organizing Committee, Pennsylvania nurses will benefit from the resources and expertise of the most dynamic and effective professional nurses unions in the nation," said Eakin, adding that, by affiliating, "PASNAP increases its opportunities to improve the working lives of nurses and the care they deliver to patients." CNA/NNOC Executive Director Rose Ann DeMoro echoed Eakin's sentiments: "Our unity is a strong signal to nurses in Pennsylvania and other nurses across the nation of the opportunity for growth, a stronger voice in the workplace and the public arena." By uniting with CNA/NNOC, PASNAP will also become an affiliate of the AFL-CIO. AFL-CIO President John Sweeney welcomed the arrival of the Pennsylvania nurses, saying, "[We are] delighted to welcome PASNAP nurses into the AFL-CIO through their affiliation with CNA/NNOC . . .with such deep problems in healthcare and such tremendous challenges facing working people, there is no more important time for nurses to unite for a stronger voice. The joining together of these two aggressive unions for registered nurses is great news." With some 5,100 members, PASNAP's affiliation brings CNA/NNOC's total membership to more than 80,000 members, solidifying its status as the nation's largest union of direct-care nurses. Eakin will represent PASNAP on the CNA/NNOC Board of Directors.—staff report PENNSYLVANIA W W W. C A L N U R S E S . O R G JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2008