National Nurses United

Profile_FINAL 12/30/09 2:09 PM Page 13 In 1988, Grundeman used the $3,000 prize money from the con- empowered to help develop sensible and workable solutions in a pantest and moved back to California, finding a job in the intensive care demic," said Grundeman. When Williams retired a few years ago, she encouraged Grundeunit of Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz, Calif., where she continues to work today. She wished she could have pursued her dream of a job man to seek a seat on the CNA/NNOC board of directors. She did, joinin public health, but the reality of being a single mother of two meant ing the board in 2007 and recently winning reelection this year. As a member of the national board, Grundeman said that she is invested in that she took the better-paying ICU position. In the early 1990s, RNs at Dominican Hospital started organizing making sure that "registered nurses are respected and treated decently to unionize with the California Nurses Association. Grundeman so that people see the value in nursing and what we really do." To that end, Grundeman is excited to be playing a part in the new helped with the campaign by passing out flyers and phone banking, whatever needed to be done. "I knew I was going to vote yes," she said. super union for RNs, National Nurses United, that CNA/NNOC recently formed by joining forces "I thought, Here we are, a profeswith two other major nursing sion of women. We're not treated unions, the Massachusetts Nursvery well, not paid very well. I "That's the future of nursing. When the es Association and United Amerfelt we weren't getting our due." national nurses union becomes a reality, ican Nurses. Through a national The hospital, which had for a we'll be able to put some laws RN movement, nurses will be long time been run by Catholic and regulations in place to make the able to improve conditions for nuns and in 1989 was bought by whole system work better." the entire profession as well as the large hospital chain Catholic improve patient care standards Healthcare West, responded with typical union-busting maneuvers but also tried to "pull a bunch across the country. "That's the future of nursing," said Grundeman. of Catholic stuff" on the nurses. "They used to lecture us that we "When the national nurses union becomes a reality, we'll be able to should just come to work out of the goodness of our hearts, not for the put some laws and regulations in place to make the whole system work better." money," laughed Grundeman. She also envisions a nation where healthcare is understood as a right, Despite these tactics, the nurses voted to join CNA and quickly negotiated their first contract in 1993. "It was exciting that we had and where everyone is protected from "cradle to grave" by a single-payer actually prevailed," remembered Grundeman. "It created a new or Medicare-for-all system. Registered nurses will help make that vision power structure. Yes, we were making more money, but the nurses a reality, she believes. "Nurses know what needs to be done." n also had more of a presence, more respect." Grundeman was busy over the next few years juggling work and Lucia Hwang is editor of Registered Nurse. raising her children, but in 1999, she was finally ready to get more involved in CNA again. "I kept thinking to myself, I should go to those PPC meetings," said Grundeman. "All the women I liked were there." As a member of Dominican's professional practice committee, Grundeman quickly grew to become a nurse leader at her facility through the mentorship of fellow RN Barbara Williams, already a CNA board member. The PPC tackled perennial problems such as understaffing, and also waged campaigns against ill-conceived hospiName: Lorna Grundeman, RN tal programs – such as the time Dominican wanted RNs to plug the Facility: Dominican Hospital holes left by cardiac catheterizations. And when RN-to-patient ratios Unit: Intensive care unit went into effect in California in 2004, the PPC's job was to enforce Nursing for: 21 years those standards. Even now, "every month, we're holding them back On CNA/NNOC board since: 2007 from doing something foolish," said Grundeman. Sign: Pisces Grundeman's first milestone as a CNA/NNOC leader came when Nursing pet peeve: The hospital she became co-chair of the PPC. Except for a year when she left her hierarchy job to work full time helping organize nurses in Bakersfield and MonFavorite work snack: A soy mocha terey, she has continued to work in the Dominican ICU and remained Recent work accomplishment: Being a force on the PPC, of which she is now the chair. "We have a great part of the bargaining team for the PPC; they're so active," she said. "I'm always like, Wow! These CHW master contract women are good and know their stuff." Color of favorite scrubs: "I hate scrub tops. I usually This year, Grundeman was part of the RN negotiating team that wear a regular shirt and scrub bottoms." bargained a groundbreaking master contract with Catholic HealthHobbies: Gardening, reading, and zumba dancing care West on behalf of nearly 13,000 RNs in California and Nevada. Last book read: The Year of the Flood, One of the most innovative provisions of the deal was that RNs gained by Margaret Atwood a role on a new CHW-wide emergency task force created to handle Secret talent unrelated to nursing: Dancing pandemics such as the H1N1 flu virus. "The exciting thing about that language is that for the first time, bedside nurses will be contractually Profile NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2009 W W W. C A L N U R S E S . O R G REGISTERED NURSE 13

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